Work Ethic Profile Research Articles

Work ethic, cultural impact and perceived performance – innovative insights from three countries

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relationship between work ethics and organizational performance and investigate the influence of respondents’ career stages on their work ethic among British, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Serbian nations.Design/methodology/approachThis research is based on a survey of British, UAE and Serbian managers, whose task was to assess the dimensions of the multidimensional work ethic profile (MWEP) and organizational performance. Since the MWEP does not analyze work ethics in the context of religion, it is deemed the most suitable instrument for this study because it analyzes work ethics among the three cultures that practice different religions.FindingsThe results revealed that national culture impacts work ethics. British managers place greater value on the wasted time, self-reliance and morality dimensions of work ethics. Serbian managers prefer the leisure and delay of gratification dimensions, while UAE managers value hard work ethics more than the other two groups of managers. The study also shows that respondents’ career stage influences their work ethic, and a significant relationship exists between different dimensions of work ethics and organizational performance in all three nations.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the theory by analyzing work ethic and its relationship with organizational performance and respondents’ career stages in three nations that share business interests. It addresses a research gap by comparing work ethics in developed, developing and a country in socio-economic transition.

Live to Work, Work to Live, and Work as a Necessary Evil: An Examination of the Structure and Stability of Work Ethic Profiles

The goal of the present study is twofold. First, we take a person-centered approach to individual differences in work ethic. Here, we focus on the identification and stability of profiles of work ethic dimensions across individuals from two relatively diverse samples. Second, we examine the extent to which work ethic profile membership influences which characteristics of an ideal coworker are viewed as most important. To assess our hypotheses, we used a diverse US-based sample of 2440 as well as a sample of 692 employees in sales-related positions in the financial sector in Mexico. Results from a series of latent profile analyses (LPAs) clearly support the idea that from the combination of scores on the seven dimensions of work ethic, clear and reliable profiles emerge and were generalizable across samples. The three profiles were identified as “Live to Work,” “Work to Live,” and “Work as a Necessary Evil.” Significant differences were found in 5 of 11 desired attributes of an ideal coworker between the employees in the three emerging profiles. Also, in line with our hypotheses, results show that employees belonging to the profile with the highest scores on the core dimensions of the work ethic construct reported that the top desired characteristic in an ideal peer is the hard worker attribute.

The Baby Boomer – Gen Z Work Ethic Divide

This study examines the work ethic differences between baby boomers and Gen Z (Centennials). The Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile (MWEP) is used to operationalize seven dimensions of work ethic. Findings indicate that the level of work ethic varies by generation. Specifically, the work ethic of baby boomer respondents is greater than the work ethic for Gen Z respondents across nearly all MWEP dimensions. This may have important implications for corporate managers, who are typically baby boomers, as they hire and manage new employees, who are typically centennials.

Moral Awareness: A Source of Improved Sustainable Performance

Despite the increasing realization of the significance of work ethics and moral awareness (MA) in businesses after mega scandals, such as those of Enron and Tyco, few studies have investigated the relationship between MA and employees’ performance and the intermediate mechanisms that explain this relationship. This study proposes that as employees’ work ethics are calibrated through ethical training, their MA increases, in turn affecting employees’ job performance. This experimental study is aimed at investigating the impact of MA, increased through ethical training, on employees’ job performance. Based on institutional theory, the multidimensional work ethic profile (MWEP) and strategic human resource management literature, it is hypothesized that MA of employees’ is positively correlated with employees’ performance and that this relationship is moderated by the age, gender and education level of the employees. In particular, the moral awareness component of ethical decision-making (EDM) models is considered as coextensive with work ethics in experimental design, and work ethics is depicted by a multidimensional work ethic profile (MWEP). The study used a sample of 100 employees of a golf club, divided into an experiment group and a control group with 50 employees each. The experiment group was subjected to an ethical training program focused on increasing MA. Employees’ performance for both groups was evaluated based on eight sub-variables. The study concluded that increasing MA increases employees’ performance, with no significant moderation effect of age, gender and education level on this relationship. The results of this study will go a long way in helping managers to increase the productivity of their employees through increased MA.

Generational Differences in Work Ethic Among Speech-Language Pathologists

Purpose To date, there is limited available research with a specific focus on the potential differences in work ethic among speech-language pathologists from different social generations. The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the work ethic profile of three generations of speech-language pathologists and, in particular, of any differences in work ethic profiles among the three generations. Method This study used a quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional design to better understand work ethic among the three generations of speech-language pathologists through the use of an online survey containing the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile–Short Form. Results The 814 surveys analyzed indicated that the three distinct generations of speech-language pathologists exhibited differences in four out of the seven dimensions of work ethic. Conclusions Through this study, the authors developed a work ethic profile for each of the three generations of speech-language pathologists licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While there were some similarities in the dimensions of work ethic among the three generational cohorts, statistically significant differences were discovered in the dimensions of Morality/Ethics, Leisure, Centrality of Work, and Wasted Time. Understanding differences in work ethic could be beneficial to employers, administrators, and supervisors for recruitment and retention purposes as well as to speech-language pathologists who work with colleagues of different generational cohorts.

Highschool students’ professional values profiles

The main purpose of this study is to determine the work values of high school students and to compare the differences between students from different residence places (developed and underdeveloped cites). We used a quantitative approach in order to determine the influence of the variable mentioned above on the attitudes and beliefs regarding work values. To collect data, we used The Multidimensionality Work Ethic Profile, an inventory that measures seven dimensions of work values: self-reliance, morality, leisure, hard work, centrality of work, wasted time and delay of gratification. The research tool was applied on a sample of 214 high school students coming from two different residence environments characterized by different levels of development. We performed a series of Independent T tests in order to compare the scores that were given to each dimension. We discovered that the students, regardless of their residence environment, place the same value on the seven dimensions.

Comparison of cross-generational work values of the millennial generation and their parents in the People's Republic of China

PurposeThis paper compares the work values of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) millennials with their parents.Design/methodology/approachThe Chinese version of the multidimensional work ethic profile (1. productive use of time; 2. centrality of work; 3. hard work; 4. delay of gratification; 5. leisure; 6. self-reliance; and 7. moral reasoning) was used to survey PRC millennials and their parents. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparing work values for a subsample of 68 same-gender parent/child dyads. A one-way ANOVA was used for comparing the work values of the total sample of 217 PRC millennials and their parents.FindingsThe repeated measures ANOVA found that one of the seven work values for the male dyads and three of the seven work values for the female dyads were significantly different. The one-way ANOVA found that four of the seven work values for males grouping and five of the seven work values for the females grouping were significantly different.Research limitations/implicationsSocial norms and socialization by parents may moderate the influences of changing social conditions on personal values formation predicted by the theory of generations. Researchers need to sample across demographic and socioeconomic subgroups to understand subgroup differences when conducting cross-generational research. Taking large samples, aggregating data and drawing conclusions about cross-generational values may not be a valid approach in trying to understand the complexity of cross-generational values differences.Practical implicationsManagers should be wary of broad declarations about cross-generational values differences. The differences in generational values are nuanced.Originality/valueThis paper shows when controlling for same-gender parents, cross-generational values are very similar. This contrasts other findings on cross-generational values.

Ethics as usual?

This research focuses on female work ethics in Iceland, one of the most gender equal countries in the world. The Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile (MWEP) was used for measuring the work ethic of 238 students of both genders. Based on a convenience sample obtained from the School of Business, University of Iceland we tested two hypotheses. The first concerned whether women have a higher work ethic than men; the second whether female students have higher grades than their male counterparts. We found women to have both a higher work ethic and grades than men. Overall outcomes based on the MWEP revealed statistically significant differences between the averages of women and men, with the mean for women higher by 7.07 points. In addition, women’s average university grades were found to be statistically higher than those of men by a margin of 0.36 points. These results provide interesting insights into the potential contribution of women and men to the workplace, suggesting that women, on average, will be more productive and deliver superior performance. Furthermore, work-based research and evaluations are necessary to test this inference, including the research across different sectors of the Icelandic economy.

Development and validation of work ethic instrument to measure Chinese people's work‐related values and attitudes

AbstractWork ethic, a construct of work‐related values and attitudes, is believed to have a direct impact on how people approach work, work behavior, and on‐the‐job performance. When people experience social transformations, their work‐related values and attitudes change. The Chinese society has experienced significant transformations over an extended period of economic reform. This study is designed to develop and validate a work ethic instrument that can be used to measure current Chinese people's work‐related values and attitudes. To be sensitive to the Chinese context, this study follows a process of systematic cross‐context theory borrowing: borrowing a validated western work ethic instrument developed by Miller, Woehr, and Hudspeth (2002) and incorporating the findings of two qualitative studies on Chinese work ethic profile conducted previously in China to initiate the instrument development. This paper presents the research process including the data collection, instrument development, and instrument validation. A multigenerational and multiregional sample of 928 was used to conduct the study. The findings suggested an eight‐dimensional profile of Chinese workers' work ethic with a robust model fit. The eight dimensions are the concept of time, work centrality, morality, leisure, delay of gratification, hard work, group dynamics, and commitment to education. Implications for the field of human resource development, limitations of the study, and calls for future research are also presented.

Work ethic, organizational commitment and burnout

This work aims to present the results of a research study on the relations between work ethic, organizational commitment and job burnout. The authors investigated a sample of employees representing different industries and companies, e.g., lawyers, IT specialists, medical doctors, clerks, teachers and railwaymen (N = 335). The research study was based on the Job Demands-Resources model. The work ethic measured by the Polish adaptation of the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile consisted of 8 factors: the value of hard work, work as a central value of life, unwillingness to waste time, aversion to free time, delayed gratification, self-reliance, morality, and work as a moral duty. The organizational commitment measured by the Organizational Commitment Scale consisted of 3 components: affective commitment, normative commitment and continuance commitment. To measure job burnout, the Polish adaptation of the Link Burnout Questionnaire was used, which is composed of 4 dimensions of burnout: psycho-physical exhaustion, relationship deterioration, the sense of professional failure, and disillusion. The study shows that work ethic dimensions and organizational commitment are negatively correlated with job burnout. Significant predictors which can reduce job burnout include work as a moral duty, the value of hard work, work as a central value of life, aversion to free time and morality as dimensions of work ethic and affective commitment. Some dimensions of work ethic and organizational commitment constitute job resources and can decrease job burnout. Work ethic, and affective and normative commitment reduce the sense of disillusion. Med Pr. 2019;70(3):305-16.

Millennial Work Ethic: A Preliminary Examination of the Work Ethic Profile of Filipino University Students

Abstract At present, most students in the universities are considered millennials. As explained by Delcampo, Haggerty, Haney, and Knippel (2010), millennials are individuals born from 1981-2000. In general, millennials are perceived to be the “me” generation or “hero” generation. In addition, they are criticized as individuals who are self-centered, unmotivated, disrespectful, and disloyal (Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010). Given the conflicting and, to some extent, uncritical generalizations about the millennial cohort, this paper explores the work ethic profile of Filipino millennial university students. The respondents of this study are 248 university students from a private university in Metro Manila, Philippines. Through the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile - Short Form (MWEP-SF), the seven dimension of work ethic were described. Results reveal that Filipino millennial university students scored high on self-reliance. Likewise, they have high mean scores in the dimensions of centrality of work, wasted time, morality/ethics, delay of gratification, and hard work. The dimension of leisure is ranked the lowest. The findings further reveal that there are significant differences in work ethic between male and female respondents. However, in terms of academic specialization, no significant differences were observed. Considering academic achievement, workload, and study hours, these factors interact with the different facets of work ethic.

A Validity Study of the mwep Scale in Hong Kong

This article examines the validity of the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile, MWEP, in the Hong Kong setting. Purposive quota sampling is adopted to solicit data from a total of 140 respondents with equal gender distribution across seven age groups in Hong Kong. Factor analysis reveals that similarity exists between factor loadings in original MWEP model of Miller, Woehr, and Hudspeth (2002) and the model in the current study with Hong Kong samples. However, the MWEP items in the current study does not map exactly into the seven dimensions proposed by Miller, Woehr, and Hudspeth. The leisure and the morality/ethics dimensions match with the original scale respectively with good and poor reliabilities, but the hard work and wasted time dimensions have intertwined and appeared to be inseparable.

Investigating the relationship between work values and work ethics: A South African perspective

Orientation: As a result of the proliferation of unethical behaviour in the workplace, the study of work ethics has received new impetus.Research purpose: The research study sought to determine the relationship between work ethics and work values, with the objective of determining whether work ethics statistically significantly predict work values.Motivation for the study: As work ethics (i.e. behavioural intent) are a determinant of work values (i.e. overt behaviour), researchers are investigating their potential in preventing unethical behaviour.Research design, approach and method: A descriptive quantitative research design was employed in the study. A survey was conducted using the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile and the Values Scale, which in previous studies have produced acceptable Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Data were collected from 301 respondents in one geographical area in South Africa.Main findings: Work values did not appear to be highly esteemed by respondents, as only 6 of the 22 dimensions had a positive score. However, all seven dimensions of work ethics had positive scores. A negative correlation was found between work ethics and work values. In addition, work ethics predicted 9% of the variance in work values, providing sufficient evidence to accept the postulated research hypothesis.Practical implications: The findings of the study could be used by human resource managers to promote ethical behaviour, by focusing not only on work ethics but also on the relationship between work ethics and work values.Contribution: The study provides evidence of a relationship between work ethics and work behaviours, such as work values, within the South African context, and it thus addresses a research gap in this area.

Predicting entrepreneurial intentions from work values

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to extend the current debate on value-intention link by investigating the hitherto unexplored relation between the concepts of the multidimensional work ethic profile and entrepreneurial intentions (EIs). In addition, this research seeks to offer specific insight into the work values and EIs of United Arab Emirates (UAE) national youth in an effort to contribute to decision making and policy formation for enhancing entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approach– In total, 309 UAE youth completed an Arabic version of the short form multidimensional work ethic profile (MWEP-SF) and a measure of EI.Findings– Results confirm the value-intention link and support the view that values can direct work choices in entrepreneurship. The regression model identifies that the work ethics of wasted time, leisure, and self-reliance positively predict EI, while centrality of work is unrelated to EI.Originality/value– The relation between work values and EI of youth is underexplored in the context of the UAE. The current extreme underrepresentation of UAE nationals in the private sector of the UAE economy highlights a significant problem for the UAE strategy of workforce nationalization. As the current findings reveal that the UAE youth possess work values which can predict EIs, the policy initiatives in the UAE may encourage Emirati nationals to more actively participate in the new venture creation and development. This will potentially facilitate the government to achieve the balance between public sector employability and self-employment contributions in the private sector.

Examining the Work Ethic of Correctional Officers Using a Short Form of the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile

The work ethic construct has seen increased research attention in recent years and has been applied to a host of different settings. In this study, the work ethic of correctional officers (COs) was examined. Compared with other occupational samples, COs generally endorsed higher levels of work ethic across several of the dimensions. Also, we found that the measurement properties of the Multidimensional Work Ethic Scale–Short Form (MWEP-SF) were comparable to those presented in previous studies. Implications for future research and the relevance of work ethic in a corrections context are discussed. In addition, study limitations and future directions are addressed.

Work Attitudes and Work Ethic as Predictors of Work Engagement among Polish Employees

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between work engagement and the psychological traits of employees, such as attitudes towards work and work ethic. Additionally, the study included demographic characteristics of employees and organizational characteristics. Research was conducted using the Polish adaptations of two well known methods: Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile and Utrecht Work Enagagement Scale, as well as the Work Attitude Questionnaire (WAQ) - a new Polish method. 360 adult employees of two large Polish regions took part in the study. The analysis showed a significant influence of hedonic-autotelic attitude, as well as four dimensions of work ethic on work engagement. It seems to be an important conclusion that work engagement turned out to be far more determined by the subject’s psychological traits than demographic and organizational ones. These results, indicating the special role of the perception of work as a central value, can be used only in the area of attitudes towards work formed during adolescence (e.g., at school, in career counseling) but also in the area of motivating the employees by the organization.

An Empirical Alternative to Sidani and Thornberry’s (2009) ‘Current Arab Work Ethic’: Examining the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile in an Arab Context

While the concept of work ethic has been discussed in the Arab context (Sidani and Thornberry in J Bus Eth 91(1):35–49, 2009), the significant conceptual and methodological limitations of the existing work ethic and work value research elucidate the need for a more robust investigation of the multidimensional work ethic construct in the Arab context. Multidimensionality of the work ethic concept has gained considerable attention in recent years as researchers attempt to move away from the religiously labeled Islamic and Protestant work ethic conceptualizations. The current study examines the Arab work ethic through the use of the multidimensional work ethic profile (MWEP) on a sample of future business leaders in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 484 business students completed an Arabic version of the MWEP short form. The results show that centrality of work and hard work are the highest scoring work ethics followed by self-reliance, wasted time, and leisure. There are significant differences in work ethic dimensions across gender and categories of family breadwinner. No significant differences in work ethic dimensions are observed across categories of nationality and work preference groups. The findings are discussed in relation to the unique insight they offer on the nature of work ethic in an Arab context.

Work ethic as a predictor of task persistence and intensity

The purpose of this study was to examine work ethic as a predictor of task persistence and intensity. After completing the multidimensional work ethic profile, 147 participants were asked to complete a free-response task, and the amount of content provided and task duration was recorded. Work ethic scores were significantly related to task intensity, and morality/ethics was the dimension that contributed the most to predicting this outcome. However, the work ethic dimension of leisure was not significantly related to task persistence as hypothesized. These results indicate that when left in an unsupervised situation, individuals with higher levels of morality/ethics were more likely to provide a greater quantity of responses as well as work more efficiently on the task. The discussion expands on implications of these findings with respect to work ethic theory, limitations, and future research on this topic.

Generational differences in work ethic among 3 generations of registered nurses.

The purpose of this study was to understand if differences in dimensions of work ethic exist among 3 generations of nurses working in an inpatient setting at an acute care facility. Generational differences are linked with increased turnover, with work ethic frequently cited as an important difference. The quantitative, quasi-experimental cross-sectional study recruited inpatient registered nurses from 2 teaching hospitals in a southern US metropolitan area to complete the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile online. The 285 completed surveys indicated that similarities exist among the 3 generations, with statistically significant differences only in leisure, hard work, and delay of gratification dimensions. Understanding differences in work ethic dimensions could lead to strategies for improving the generational conflict. These results also lead to the conclusion that work ethic differences may not be the cause of the generational conflict among nurses.

The Impact of Work Ethics on Performance Using Job Satisfaction and Affective Commitment as Mediating Variables: Evidences from Lecturers in Central Java

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of work ethics on performance using job satisfaction and affective commitment as mediating variables. The variables used include the dimensions of multidimensional work ethic profile (independent variable), job satisfaction and affective commitment (mediating variables), and performance (dependent variable). The survey research design was applied to meet the objective of this study, with 400 questionnaires had been sent to the lecturers in Central Java. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) was adopted to test some hypotheses developed in this study. The findings, based on the response rate of 76% (304 of the 400) of the questionnaires successfully collected and ready for analysis, are that not all dimensions of multidimensional work ethic profile directly influence the task performance, of the dimensions of multidimensional work ethic profile, only the dimension of hard work directly and significantly influence the task performance, job satisfaction mediates some of the dimensions of multidimensional work ethic profile on the task performance, and affective<br />commitment do not mediate the influence of all dimensions of multidimensional work ethic profile on the task performance.