Work Volition Research Articles

Role of workforce analytics in fulfillment experience of employees through work volition

Purpose Labor process theory explains that employers prefer technology and systems over employees for efficiency gains. However, the mechanisms explaining the influence of technology and systems on different work-related employee outcomes are still a question mark. The purpose of this study is to test a mediation mechanism explaining how workforce analytics influence the work fulfillment experience of employees through work volition. Design/methodology/approach This study collected dyadic data from 55 HR managers and 350 employees serving in 55 different subsidiaries of Multinational Corporations in Pakistan. Findings The statistical results demonstrate that workforce analytics negatively affect fulfillment at work. However, work volition may reduce the negative relationship between workforce analytics and fulfillment at work. This study also found a significant but negative relationship between work volition and fulfillment at work. Originality/value This study found that integrating the use of workforce analytics with the work volition of employees is critical for positive employee outcomes.

Belongingness in higher education: Fostering decent education to sustain academic progress and equitable access to decent work

Given the critical role of higher education in fostering social mobility and access to decent work, our study investigates how the college experience, shaped by social marginalization and economic constraints, influences students’ academic engagement and work volition before and during COVID-19. Drawing from the psychology of working theory (PWT) and decent education, we assess the mediating role of school belongingness and the moderating effect of COVID-19 timing through structural equation modeling. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 exacerbated the negative effect of social and economic marginalization on work volition and the negative effects of economic constraints on academic engagement, while also diminishing the moderating effect of school belongingness. These insights are crucial considering the profound disruptions in higher education due to the pandemic and underscore the importance of fostering school belongingness as a component of decent education to sustain student engagement and positive views of their work futures.

Work Volition to Subjective Well-Being: A Model Suggestion Based on Psychology of Working Theory: A Path Analysis Study

Work Volition to Subjective Well-Being: A Model Suggestion Based on Psychology of Working Theory: A Path Analysis Study

The association of senior nursing students' economic resources, work volition and career adaptability with their future decent work securement: A psychology of working perspective

AimTo determine the relationship between economic resources (household income), work volition and career adaptability and the perception of future decent work securement of senior nursing students based on the Psychology of Working Theory. BackgroundFuture decent work securement is essential for young people to successfully enter to working life after graduation. Therefore, identifying factors that affect future decent work can help make nursing a desirable career option. DesignCross-sectional and correlational design. MethodsThis study was performed between May and June 2022 in three public universities in Turkey. The sample consisted of the senior students in the nursing undergraduate programs (n = 255). The data were collected using the Student Information Form, the Work Volition Scale-Student Version, the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale-Short Form and the Perceived Future Decent Work Securement Scale. Descriptive tests and Pearson's correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. The hypothesis model was tested using path analysis. ResultsThis study found significant positive correlations between household income, work volition, career adaptability and future decent work securement. The direct effects of household income on work volition, work volition on career adaptability and future decent work securement were also significant. However, there was no significant effect of career adaptability on future decent work securement. In addition, work volition was found to have an indirect effect on the relationship between household income and career adaptability and future decent work securement. ConclusionsThis study, where the Psychology of Working Theory was tested on a sample of nursing students, drew attention to the importance of work volition in developing the perception of future decent work securement. Career adaptability and decent work perception can be improved through work volition of the students.

Predicting work values: A psychology of working theory perspective

Drawing on the perspective of the Psychology of Working Theory, this study adopted a latent change score model to examine how changes in work volition and decent work during the COVID-19 pandemic related to post-pandemic work values. We conducted a three-wave longitudinal study with 276 Chinese working adults over nearly three years. We found that higher levels of and increases in work volition positively related to increases in decent work during the pandemic. Increases in decent work also negatively related to the work value of pay and positively related to the work value of relationships. Finally, higher levels of decent work during the early stages of the pandemic were positively related to three post-pandemic work values: autonomy, relationships, and altruism. Overall, we demonstrated that the Psychology of Working Theory explains work values, contributing to a deeper understanding of how work values were influenced by the work experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Decent Work Among Turkish Working Adults: A Latent Profile Analysis

The present study explores the interrelationship among decent work components via a latent profile analysis among Turkish workers. Using a sample of 596 employees in Türkiye, the latent profile analysis revealed four distinct profiles (highly indecent work, low compensation-low rest, indecent work-low healthcare-dominant, and decent work). The auxiliary variable analysis showed that work volition and social class increased the likelihood of workers’ membership in the decent work group. Economic constraints and marginalization increased the likelihood of workers’ membership in the highly indecent work group. Women were more likely to be members of the indecent work-low healthcare-dominant group, and workers with bachelor’s degrees or higher were more likely to be members of the low compensation-low rest group. In addition, the results showed significant mean differences in the levels of job satisfaction across profile memberships, such that the decent work group had the highest job satisfaction. The results reveal how components of decent work are uniquely configured among Turkish workers and contribute to the growing literature examining how indecent work is experienced around the world. Implications are discussed.

Decent Work Profiles of Korean Workers: Antecedents and Outcomes of Profile Membership

Recent research has explored profiles of decent work based on the Psychology of Working Theory. However, such investigations have rarely been attempted in Korea. This study applied latent profile analysis to discover decent work profiles and their relationships with antecedents and outcomes. Among 605 Korean workers, five distinct profiles emerged: indecent (7.9%), low safety and healthcare access (34.9%), average (38.1%), decent (13.7%), and value-dominant but low rest (5.4%). Higher subjective social status and work volition were associated with the decent work group, whereas women and individuals with less education were linked to work characterized by greater vulnerability. Furthermore, satisfaction with work needs, job, and life varied significantly across these profiles. The decent work group generally exhibited the highest satisfaction, whereas the indecent work group had the lowest. The low-safety and healthcare access work group tended to exhibit higher satisfaction levels than the indecent work group, but lower levels than the average work group. The v alue-dominant but low-rest work group exhibited life satisfaction comparable to the decent work group. The findings of this study highlight the distinctive characteristics of the working conditions in South Korea. Based on these results, we discuss theoretical and practical implications.

Influence of Mobility Constraints and Educational Experiences on Future Decent Work Access Among Chinese Emerging Adults

Drawing on the Psychology of Working Theory, the present study investigates whether and how mobility constraints and educational experiences predict access to future decent work among two samples of Chinese undergraduates. The results reveal that educational experiences are directly related to future decent work access, while also indirectly linked to future decent work access via career adaptability and work volition, respectively. In addition, both objective and subjective mobility constraints are not associated with future decent work access, yet they are indirectly linked to future decent work access through career adaptability and work volition, respectively. Moreover, subjective mobility constraints but not objective mobility constraints are indirectly linked to future decent work access through educational experiences. The results provide empirical evidence for the recent expansion of decent education and of the school-to-work transition expansion of the Psychology of Working Theory.

A Qualitative Exploration of Chinese Rural College Students’ Career Development: A Psychology of Working Perspective

Rural college youth encounter numerous challenges in securing decent education and work. However, there has been scant research on their career development from a vocational psychology perspective. Drawing from the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), we examined the contextual and personal factors that shape their work volition and perceptions of future decent work. We conducted semistructural interviews with 12 Chinese rural college students and employed Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method to analyze the data. Our findings revealed that their vocational barriers included economic constraints, inadequate educational resources, limited access to decent internship opportunities, and lack of study-related electronics. However, their coping stratgies to overcome these constraints included social support, notably from teachers, as well as positive attributes such as critical consciousness and proactive personality. Regarding future employment, participants valued job stability, a balance between work and life, the ability to provide for their families, and displayed prosocial and growth orientations. These findings provided support for the applicability of PWT in understanding the vocational trajectories of rural college students in a non-Western context. The implications of these findings for future research and vocational interventions are discussed.

Working Mothers: Good mothering, Parental Guilt and Work Volition

Abstract: Working mothers experience marked work-family conflict which negatively affects their career progression and mental well-being. This study aimed to determine the interrelationship between good mothering expectations, parental guilt and work volition in working mothers. The participants included a total of 150 working mothers between the ages of 21 and 59. The inclusion criterion was working mothers with children of ages 21 or below. The study included participants primarily from India (90.8%), with a smaller representation from Australia (0.7%), the UK (2%), the US (0.7%), Egypt (0.7%), Turkey (0.7%) and Romania (5.4%). Three scales were utilized: the Good mothering Expectations Scale, the Guilt about Parenting Scale, and Work Volition. The results indicate a weak significant correlation between traditional roles and parental guilt (Rho = .345). The significant F-statistic (14.137) with a very low p-value (000) suggests that there are statistically significant differences in parental guilt scores among the traditional roles. No statistically significant relationships were found between guilt about parenting and work volition. The results of the study indicate that working mothers who subscribe to traditional mothering roles face increased amounts of guilt.

Perception of Decent Work and Employee Commitment: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

The study investigated “perception of decent work (DW) and Employee Commitment: the mediating role of Job Satisfaction; to determine the extent to which employees” perception of DW influences their commitment to work. Specifically, the study sought to find out how job satisfaction mediates the relationship between the perception of DW and employee commitment. A cross-sectional survey research design of employees of tertiary institutions (Universities), as well as corporate organizations (multinational companies), in Nigeria was employed. A structured questionnaire elicited the required data from the randomly sampled respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis served to validate the instrument while Cronbach’s alpha served as the reliability test. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that social marginalization and work volition are significant predictors of DW, job satisfaction mediates the relationship between DW and employee commitment with partial mediation on the informalization of organizations and full mediation on the rest variables. Work volition and career adaptation have positive influences on employee commitment while informalization of organization and social marginalization have negative influences.

청년 근로자가 지각한 주관적 사회적 지위와 괜찮은 일자리 관계: 일의 의미, 일 자유의지, 진로적응성의 매개효과

This study was conducted by applying the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) to young workers. Whether the subjective social status perceived by young workers had a significant effect on obtaining decent work, and whether the mediating effect of work meaning, work volition, and career adaptability appeared in this pathway was verified using a structural equation model. The survey was conducted on 500 young workers, and the results of the study are as follows. First, the subjective social status recognized by young workers had a positive and direct effect on decent work, and the work meaning, work volition, and career adaptability had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between the two variables. In addition, it was found that subjective social status predicts the work meaning and work volition. Second, work volition and career adaptability did not directly significantly affect decent work. Third, the work meaning of young workers not only had a mediating effect on obtaining decent work, but also had a significant direct influence. Based on these results, the significance of this study and suggestions for subsequent studies were presented.

일-가정 병행 여성의 ‘괜찮은 일’ 및 ‘의미 있는 일’ 경험의 잠재프로파일 분석: 일의 심리학 이론을 중심으로

The study examines the patterns in the experiences of decent work and mean-ingful work of working women with children as well as the psychological processes pre-dicting these patterns based on the Psychology of Working Theory. The survey was com-pleted by 791 working women with children. The latent profile analysis identified three subtypes: highly meaningless work, which was characterized by the low level of all factors below the mean of the whole group and the particular lower level of meaningful work fac-tors; adequate work, where all factors were close to the mean of the whole group; and a fulfilling work, where both decent and meaningful work experiences were at a high level. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine psychological processes that predicted the probability to belong to these groups, and found that work volition, ca-reer adaptability, critical behavior, problem-focused coping, and cognitive reappraisal were significant predictors, after controlling for average household income per month. The findings imply that decent work may be prerequisites for meaningful work and psycho-logical processes can facilitate more positive work experiences and suggest interventions based on the levels of work experience.

Attaining decent work among Chinese rural migrants: Exploring the roles of psychological ownership and proactive personality within the psychology of working theory.

Testing an adapted psychology of working theory (PWT) model (PWT; Duffy et al., 2016), this study examined how and when contextual constraints affect the ability of Chinese rural migrant workers () to attain decent work. Surveying a sample of 510 employed Chinese rural migrants at two time points, this study revealed that economic constraints and daily discrimination were indirectly related to attaining decent work through the mediating factors of work volition and psychological ownership over work. In addition, proactive personality moderated the relationships between daily discrimination and economic constraints and the two mediators. The results contribute to better understanding Chinese rural migrant workers' work experience, refining the PWT and enriching the literature on the underlying mechanisms and moderating factors associated with decent work attainment. The research results call for policy and social change to lessen economic constraints and discrimination at the macro level and organizational commitment to employee-oriented human resource management and counseling interventions to improve the quality of the work lives of rural migrant workers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors associated with the job satisfaction of autistic adults

BackgroundFollowing high school graduation, autistic adults are more likely to be disengaged from participation in employment opportunities. The autistic individuals who do obtain jobs, often experience lower rates of employment, work fewer hours, and receive less pay when compared to other non-autistic adults. However, few researchers have explored outcomes associated with the satisfaction of autistic people while in the workplace. MethodTherefore, this study aimed to determine the factors associated with the job satisfaction of autistic workers. Autistic adults who were at least 18 years of age, employed in the United States, and worked at least 10 h per week at the time of data collection were included in the current study. A linear regression was conducted to determine whether social support positively predicted the job satisfaction of autistic workers and mediation analysis was conducted to determine whether person-environment fit mediated the relationship between work volition and job satisfaction. Results121 autistic employees completed a battery of assessments to determine the predictors associated with job satisfaction. A linear regression revealed that social support in the workplace was significantly associated with job satisfaction, and a mediation analysis demonstrated that person-environment fit partially mediated the relationship between work volition and job satisfaction. ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest the need for more widespread training among employers and co-workers, to reframe current understandings of autistic people. With improved knowledge, acceptance, and support, the employment context may foster positive work experiences for autistic people.

Connotation, Dimensions and Scale Development of work volition in the Chinese Context

The Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) was developed to complement existing vocational theories[1], in which work volition is a central construct. There is a lack of local measurement tools for Chinese university students’ work volition, which restricts the breadth and depth of research. Based on survey data from 960 college students nationwide, this study explored the cross-cultural validity of the WVS-SV. Through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, a measurement scale of work volition was developed involving two dimensions of volition and constraints, with a total of fourteen items. This study opens up new perspectives for work volition research, enriches the literature on careers guidance research, and provides an effective measurement tool for subsequent research on college students’ work volition.

Effects of Career Adaptability, Work Volition on the Perceived Life Satisfaction and Moderating Role of Gender of Undergraduates in State Universities, Sri Lanka

Education has become a top priority in labour market in Sri Lanka. As a result, high competition develops within each individual undergraduate in selecting a career path. The main aim of this research paper is to recognize relationship between identified constructs relating to career and life satisfaction of state sector university undergraduates who enroll to Social Sciences and Humanities degree programmes. A structured questionnaire-based survey was used to conduct a quantitative study, and 174 state sector university undergraduates, who were looking for jobs, were included in the qualified sample. Data was analyzed by using software such as SPSS version 22 and AMOS. The study was supported by three laid down hypotheses, and findings identified that career adaptability, life satisfaction and work volition are having positive relationship. Having noticed that work volition is partially mediated, hypothesis four was also used in further analyzing of data. The empirical investigation showed that there is no any gender influence on undergraduates’ career adaptability and perceived life satisfaction. The last hypothesis was not supported as gender which does not consider as a moderator.

Adaptação e Evidências Psicométricas da Work Volition Scale - Student no Brasil

Abstract The Psychology of Working Theory has achieved notable prominence in career studies for its focus on how various - both individual and contextual - influence careers and job outcomes. “Volition” stands out as one of the key elements of this theory, representing the individuals’ ability to make career choices despite obstacles. This study aimed to adapt and validate both internal and external structures of the Work Volition Scale - Student Version (WVS-SV) to Brazil. A total of 590 university students from public and private institutions of varied courses and semesters, mostly women (59%), took part in the study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the scale effectively measured two dimensions: volition and constraints. External evidence, including satisfaction with life and career, supported the theoretical aspects of this construct. The results indicated good psychometric properties of the scale to the Brazilian setting, contributing to a better understanding of career choices among university students.

A Cross-Cultural Validation of Psychology of Working Theory With Turkish Working Adults

Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) is a relatively new vocational theory applicable to various cultural contexts around the world. However, proper examination of the theory within a Turkish context has been limited due to measurement concerns. Thus, in the present studies, we aimed to first translate the most frequently used PWT measures into Turkish by following best practices for scale translation and proceeded to then examine the full PWT model among Turkish working adults. We conducted two separate studies to address our primary aims. In Study 1, we translated the scales and conducted initial validity, and data was collected from 390 Turkish working adults to test the dimensionality and reliability of the scales. Results indicated that both the Economic Constraints Scale and Lifetime Experiences of Marginalization Scale were unidimensional models and the Work Needs Satisfaction Scale had a higher-order model consistent with the original development studies. In Study 2, using these newly translated scales, we examined the full PWT model among a new group of 564 Turkish working adults. Results showed that overall, PWT propositions were largely supported by the sample except for the role of work volition. Limitations and implications of the studies are discussed.

Conceptualizing college-going volition in rural Appalachian high school students.

Understanding the gap between students' aspirations for postsecondary education and their actual postsecondary attainment is key to understanding and reducing educational and vocational inequities. Just as work volition has emerged as a key factor in understanding access to decent work, students' sense of control over or volition in the college-going process may be a key factor in understanding their access to postsecondary education. In the current study, we adapted a common measure of work volition to create a measure of college-going volition (CGV). In a large sample of rural Appalachian high school students, the measure showed good psychometric properties and strong measurement invariance across gender and prospective college-generation groups. There were no gender differences in CGV, but prospective first-generation college students demonstrated significantly lower CGV than their continuing-generation peers. CGV also accounted for significant unique variance in college-going self-efficacy beyond educational barriers.