The Nature of the Economy by Ricardo F. Crespo

Author:Ricardo F. Crespo
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783031024535
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Why Do I Work?

There is growing interest in the idea of work as being a truly significant experience—that is, revisiting the subjective aspect of work.4 This has led several scholars to return to an ancient notion with spiritual roots: people’s calling. J. Stuart Bunderson and Jeffery A. Thompson (2009) begin their article on the work of zookeepers as follows, “To better understand the nature and characteristics of deeply meaningful work, a small but growing number of management scholars have looked to the notion of work as a personal calling” (Bunderson and Thompson 2009: 3). Indeed, meaningfulness lies at the core of a calling (Dobrow and Tosti-Kharas 2011).

The empirical research on callings that has emerged “suggests that when work provides individuals with opportunities to enact their callings, people tend to see their work as more meaningful because it is experienced as personally fulfilling and having worldly impact” (Rosso et al. 2010: 99). Additionally, organizations are viewed as playing an important role in how employees relate to their work (Rosso et al. 2010).

After the research on calling reached its tipping point in 2007 (Duffy and Dik 2013), the academic literature on the topic has flourished, expanding into sub-disciplines such as management and organizational behavior (Duffy and Dik 2013). However, this interest is not entirely new: important precedents have surfaced in recent decades.

Though this abundant literature seems to coincide with the construct of calling as a means to imbue work and life with meaning, there is little consensus on how to define this experience (Duffy and Dik 2013). For some, a calling is experienced as a summons originating from outside oneself (Dik and Duffy 2009). For others, it can stem from an internal inclination (Hirschi 2011). Many link it solely to professional work, while others view it as a construct applicable to any area of life (Elangovan et al. 2010). A discussion has also emerged on whether this experience is unique to those who see themselves as religious or can also occur among those who do not adhere to specific beliefs (cf. Hunter et al. 2010; Duffy 2006).

Nonetheless, beyond the numerous differences and varied emphases present in the abundant literature published in recent years, several important agreements have been reached around the definition of callings. According to Amy Wrzesniewski, the two most salient approaches to a calling in modern research view it as springing from inner enjoyment and as a way of contributing to a greater good (Wrzesniewski et al. 2009). The same author refers to these two dimensions in other words by describing people who pursue a calling as those who “love their work and think that it contributes to making the world a better place” (Wrzesniewski et al. 1997: 22). Thus, a calling can be construed as a passion for an activity that is perceived as being socially relevant (Wrzesniewski and Tosti 2006). Shoshana Dobrow (2004) speaks of a sense of passion or a deep enjoyment and satisfaction from engaging in one’s work. For Martin Seligman (2002), a calling is linked to the passion for a gratifying activity.

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