Thesis advisor: Michael G. Pratt / Despite calls to understand the micro-foundation of institutional theory and to understand how professional identity change relates to the broader macro context (e.g., Lok, 2010; Lepisto, Crosina and Pratt, forthcoming); exploration of the link between a field-level institutional change and the individual professionals' identity responses within the field remains. For this dissertation, I conducted an inductive qualitative study of French veterinarians and their reactions to "the Service Directive", a European Union regulation that re-categorizes veterinarians as "service providers" from "healthcare professionals." Drawing on interviews with practicing veterinarians, leaders of the field, observations, and archival data, my dissertation advances our understanding of professionals' responses to an institutional change which can potentially redefine what their profession is. My findings suggest that professionals negotiate an institutional change (in this case, the Service Directive) at the professional level before its formal implementation and before individual professionals within their organization engaged in any form of response. My dissertation introduces a model centered on understanding how veterinarians responded to this change at the individual level (and more particularly, in terms of identity) within their organization. This model suggests that individual professionals perceive the institutional regulatory change in hopeful, fearful or ambivalent manners. I found that these perceptions are influenced by professionals' work orientation and perceived organization's time orientation. Further, I found that these perceptions lead to different types of identity responses: identity expansion, identity maintenance, giving up a possible self, and de-emphasizing an existing identity. My research enriches emerging perspectives on identity responses to an institutional change by pointing out various identity responses and tying them to the perceptions of an institutional change. My research further suggests that such a change can be perceived as an opportunity, as a threat, or both, not solely as a threat. Furthermore, my dissertation introduces the notions of orientation (work orientation and perceived organization's time orientation) as key to the processing of an institutional trigger. Finally, it calls attention to an emotional processing of the institutional trigger. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Management and Organization.

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Employees maintain a personal view toward their work, which can be referred to as their work orientation. Some employees view their work as their life’s purpose (i.e., calling work orientation) and they tend to be 1) prosocially motivated, 2) derive meaning from work, and 3) feel that their purpose is from beyond the self. The purpose of the current dissertation was to differentiate calling work orientation from other similar workplace constructs, to investigate the most common covariates of calling work orientation, and to empirically test two possible moderators of the relationship between calling work orientation and work-related outcomes of job satisfaction, job performance, and work engagement. Two independent samples were collected for the purpose of testing hypotheses: data were collected from 520 working students and from 520 non-student employees. Participants from the student sample were recruited at Florida International University, and participants from the employee sample were recruited via the Amazon Mechanical Turk website. Participants from the student sample answered demographic questions and responded to self-report measures of job satisfaction, job performance, work engagement, spirituality, meaningful work, prosocial motivation, and work orientation. The procedure was similar for the employee sample, but their survey also included measures of counterproductive work behaviors, organizational citizenship behaviors, conscientiousness, and numerical ability. Additionally, employees were asked whether they would be willing to have a direct supervisor, peer, co-worker, client, or subordinate rate their job performance. Hierarchical regression findings suggest calling work orientation was predictive of overall job performance above and beyond two common predictors of performance, conscientiousness and numerical ability. The results for the covariate analyses provided evidence that prosocial motivation, meaningful work, and spirituality do play a significant role in the development of an employees’ work orientation. Perceived career opportunities moderated the relationship between calling work orientation and job performance for the employee sample. Core self-evaluations moderated the relationship between calling work orientation and job performance, and core self-evaluations moderated the relationship between calling work orientation and work engagement. Collectively, findings from the current study highlight the benefits of examining work orientation in the prediction of workplace outcomes.

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This paper aims to look at changes in work values among the Swedish population and whether it relates to an ongoing individualization process in the work sphere. Using quantitative data from the International Social Survey Programme, the study investigates the changing of work values between the years of 1997 and 2015 using an age cohort study. Ronald Inglehart’s theory of Postmaterialism is used to analyze the results of the analysis. The theory states that people’s values are shaped by their environment growing up and change relatively little thereafter. If the social context is shaped by scarcity, people tend to prioritize more material or external values, such as economic and physical safety. If the environment is prosperous and the material needs are fulfilled, the theory states that people rather tend to prioritize postmaterial or internal values, such as self-fulfillment and self-actualization. Regarding the work sphere, external values refer to people prioritizing job and income safety while the internal values emphasize autonomy and personal development. The findings show that younger generations in Sweden tend to prioritize more external work values in relation to older generations. It also shows that this change in values is due to a generational shift rather than people becoming more postmaterialist as they age. We argue that this has to do with younger generations growing up in an unsecure personal environment during the 1990’s while the global economic crisis resulted in the labor market becoming more individualized, leaving individuals in unsecure employment and higher competition due to a widespread education development.

<p>The purpose of this research was to investigate how work orientation (job, career, and calling) affects the professional life of leaders; and how leaders perceive their work regarding these three dimensions. In addition, this study aimed to relate work orientation to performance. Also, phenomenology approach allowed a deep investigation of the experience of leaders with regard to their work.</p><p> For this purpose, two surveys were used; one was on work orientation and the other on performance. After completion of the surveys, six participants were invited to participate in an in-depth interview. The participants were aligned with the calling orientation and had a high performance at work. They described their work as integrated into their lives, involving their families in decisions, helping people, and desiring to make a difference in this world. Also, the findings showed that people who live a calling feel that work and life have intertwined meanings. The motivation, well-being, connection with an organization, engagement with work, and having a purpose were factors that had significance for those who perceive work as a calling. The main results were that the participants faced new challenges, built new meanings and understandings about work during their careers. Each experience helped them to improve the next, while also improving their performance. The relationship between these factors revealed a cycle of meanings. The cycle represents the evolution of the creation of new meanings which defines how people perceive their work and how that influences performance. Furthermore, this study showed that it is possible to change the perception of work through goals, achievement, working context, the adversities faced, stages of life, and the work environment. All of these lead to new meanings and becoming aligned to different dimensions of work orientation. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

Submitted by Anderson do Nascimento Ricci (anderson.ricci@fgv.br) on 2018-08-01T19:49:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação completa.pdf: 2599879 bytes, checksum: 5070d266fa2935b7500eb453201f626a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2018-08-02T17:39:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação completa.pdf: 2599879 bytes, checksum: 5070d266fa2935b7500eb453201f626a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T18:02:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação completa.pdf: 2599879 bytes, checksum: 5070d266fa2935b7500eb453201f626a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-22 / Purpose – In the human quest for meaning, work occupies a central position. Most adults spend the majority of their waking hours at work, which often serves as a primary source of purpose and meaning. As the firm’s workforce constitutes an important source of its success, both scholars and practitioners are paying increasing attention to the recent field of meaning and purpose at work. In the field of the study of Organizational Behaviour, this dissertation focuses on examining the work orientation of Millennials (money, status or purpose). Moreover, it also explores how the four potential drivers (Sense of belongingness, Sense of unity with others, Personal growth and Sense of impact) affect Meaningful work within the generation of Millennials. Design/methodology/approach –158 full-time employed Millennials are studied. The data is collected via an online survey. Findings – The analysis finds (1) Millennials are in the pursuit of purpose at work (2) Millennials value purpose over status and money (3) only sense of belongingness, personal growth and sense of impact affect meaningful work (4) sense of unity with others did not impact meaningful work of Millennials. Finally, (5) Sense of impact is the most influential driver. Research limitations – Due to the lack of mature measurements of sense of purpose and meaning at work, future research, need to develop better-designed and conceptually stronger measures of meaningful work. Millennials in developing countries should also be studied as it could improve the theoretical and practical implications derived from the research. Moreover, there are aspects, which remain to be answered, for example, how this model works for different contexts, such as industries, organisational cultures, and how it evolves through different life moments. Practical implications – The findings emphasise the importance of understanding the work orientation of Millennials as well as the drivers that increase the meaning and purpose at work. It will help managers to develop greater purpose at work by changing the way business practices are approached with a win-win situation. Employees will bring their full set of values and strengths to work and, in turn, the organisation will support the employee in using those values and strengths in service of its mission. Originality – Up to now, no study has focused on studying the drivers of Meaningful work among the Millennials generation. On top of that, some people see work in their lives as solely a source of income or status. Others are oriented to see work as primarily about purpose – personal fulfilment and helping other people. The relatively sparse empirical research published on the Millennials characteristics is confusing and contradictory, and thus, there has been an inconclusive debate about their work orientation. / Objetivo – Na procura humana pelo significado, o trabalho ocupa uma posição central. A maioria dos adultos passa a maior parte das suas horas acordados no seu trabalho, o que deveria tornar o trabalho como uma fonte primária de propósito e significado. No campo do estudo do Comportamento Organizacional, esta dissertação enfoca o exame da orientação do trabalho dos Millennials (dinheiro, status ou propósito). Além disso, também explora como os quatro impulsores potenciais (Senso de pertencer, Sentido de unidade com os outros, Crescimento pessoal e Senso de impacto) afetam o trabalho significativo dentro da geração de Millennials. Metodologia – 158 millennials empregados em período integral foram estudados. Os dados foram recolhidos através de um questionário online. Resultados – A análise concluí que (1) os Millennials procuram um propósito e um sentido no trabalho (2) Millennials sobrevalorizam o propósito e o sentido do trabalho sobre o status e dinheiro (3) apenas o sentimento de pertença, crescimento pessoal e o sentimento de diferença e impacto afetam o trabalho significativamente (4) o sentimento de unidade para com terceiros parece não impactar o trabalho significativo dos Millennials. Finalmente, (5) o sentimento de diferença e impacto (gerar uma diferença no trabalho) é a motivação mais influente no trabalho. Limitações – Devido à falta de medidas sólidas em relação ao sentimento de propósito e significado no trabalho, uma futura pesquisa poderá ser desenvolvida de forma a criar medidas que projetam melhor o trabalho significativo de forma mais estruturada. Seria também interessante estudar a geração dos Millennials nos países em desenvolvimento, pois poderá complementar as resoluções e implicações teóricas e práticas da análise. Por fim, existem aspetos que ainda procuram resposta, por exemplo, o funcionamento do modelo em contextos diversificados, como indústrias, culturas organizacionais, bem como a análise da evolução do conceito ao longo do tempo. Aplicabilidade do trabalho – Os resultados revelam a importância de entender melhor a orientação para o trabalho desta nova geração - Millennials - bem como os fatores que aumentam o seu significado e o seu propósito no trabalho. Adicionalmente, esta dissertação servirá como complemento e uma ajuda adicional para os gerentes das empresas atingirem um propósito maior no trabalho para os seus colaboradores, mudando a forma como as práticas de negócios são abordadas, de modo a gerar uma situação beneficial para ambas as partes. Por outras palavras, os funcionários veram reunidos um conjunto completo de valores e motivações para trabalhar, onde por sua vez, a organização servirá como apoio na melhor aplicação desses valores e motivações, de modo a atingir os objetivos e ambições das duas partes. Originalidade – No entanto, até ao momento, nenhum estudo se focou em analisar as forças por detrás do trabalho significativo da geração dos Millennials. Dado isto, é importante mencionar que algumas pessoas veem o trabalho como um meio de sustento ou um mero status. Outros são levados a identificar o trabalho como um propósito primordial - realização pessoal e ajuda a terceiros. A pesquisa empírica existente é relativamente escassa em relação aos Millennials e às suas características, sendo que muitas vezes é confusa e contraditória. Consequentemente, esta discórdia gera um debate inconclusivo sobre o tópico do trabalho.