A latent profile analysis of work passion: structure, antecedent, and outcomes
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2019-0145 |
| Pages | 846-863 |
| Date | 14 November 2019 |
| Published date | 14 November 2019 |
| Author | Jingjing Li,Jian Zhang,Bo Shao,Chunxiao Chen |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
A latent profile analysis of
work passion: structure,
antecedent, and outcomes
Jingjing Li and Jian Zhang
Donlinks School of Economics and Management,
University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China
Bo Shao
Department of Management, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and
Chunxiao Chen
Donlinks School of Economics and Management,
University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China
Abstract
Purpose –Previous research draws on the dualistic model of passion (harmonious and obsessive passion)
overlooks how the different two types of passion interact within individuals using a variable-centered
approach. The purpose of this paper is to identify work passion profiles and their antecedent and
consequences adopting a person-centered approach, and to explain inconsistences in previous studies.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper conducts three studies (n¼2,749 in total) using a latent
profile analysis. Study 1 identifies three work passion profiles, namely, dual passion, pro harmonious passion
and pro obsessive passion; study 2 examines dialectical thinking as an antecedent to work passion profile
membership; study 3 examines how each profile relates to work performance and well-being.
Findings –This paper finds that the participants with a dual passion profile showed higher task
performance and subjective well-being than the participants with the other two profiles; the participants with
a pro obsessive passion profile were higher in task performance, interpersonal performance and psychological
well-being than the participants with a pro harmonious profile.
Originality/value –This paper is the first that uses a latent profile analysis approach to examining work
passion configurations. It provides a unique perspective to investigate how different types of passion
configure and interact within individuals; it explores an antecedent (i.e. dialectical thinking) and outcomes (i.e.
performance and well-being) of the three work passion profiles.
Keywords Quantitative, Human resource management, Organizational behaviour,
Management development, Work performance
Paper type Research paper
Work passion is defined as a strong inclination toward work, whereby employees enjoy their
work, deem it to be important and therefore choose to invest time and energy in their work
(Vallerand and Houlfort, 2003). Work passion has been found to be a key predictor of work
performance andwell-being (Bélanger et al., 2013; Birkeland, 201 4; Burke et al.,2015; Ho et al.,
2011). Vallerandand Houlfort (2003) proposed a dualistic model of passion that distinguishes
between twotypes of work passion, namely,harmonious and obsessive passion,depending on
how work is internalized into an e mployee’s core self and identity. More specifically,
autonomousinternalization, which is a motivationalforce that comes from one’s own free will,
leads to harmonious passion, whereascontrolled internalization,which is a motivational force
that comes from external pressure, leads to obsessive passion (Vallerand et al., 2003).
Personnel Review
Vol. 49 No. 3, 2020
pp. 846-863
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-04-2019-0145
Received 2 April 2019
Revised 15 July 2019
27 August 2019
Accepted 8 September 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
This research was supported by three grants: The National Natural Science Foundation of China,
Project No. 71771022; Basic research funding project of University of Science and Technology Beijing,
Grant No. FRF-BR-18-001B; a grant awarded to Li from the China Scholarship Council (CSC).
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PR
49,3
Although the dualistic model of passion has beenwidely accepted and much research has
provided evidencethat these two types of work passion differentially predict work outcomes
such as performanceand well-being (Burke et al., 2015; Curranet al., 2015), very littleattention
has been paid to howthese two types of work passion interactand how the configurations of
the two passion types are organized within individuals. For example, the dualistic model of
passion seemsto suggest the incompatibilityof the two types of passion, especiallygiven that
they are proposed to predict work outcomes in different directions( Burkeet al., 2015; Curran
et al., 2015;Donahue et al., 2012; Yukhymenko-Lescroart and Sharma,2018). Unfortunately,no
research that we know of has examined whether a high level of harmonious and obsessive
passion coexists within individuals. In the present research, we seek to address the
simultaneous occurrence of both types of work passion within individuals by adopting a
person-centered approach. This new approach is powerful in examining the complexity of
interactions between both types of passion, which cannot be easily addressed by using the
traditional regression techniques in the variable-centered approach (Morin et al., 2018).
Importantly, a person-centered approach to investigating work passion is theoretically
meaningfulgiven that the literature on workpassion has a strong link to the literature on self-
determinationtheory (SDT), which has witnesseda shift from a variable-centeredapproach to
a person-centeredapproach (cf. Howard et al., 2016).In addition, as suggested by the previous
literature(Howard et al., 2016; Zyphur, 2009),from a practical point of view, a person-centered
approachcan be helpful in the design of interventions.This is because interventionsthat draw
on researchfindings from a variable-centeredapproach may design interventionsto affect one
type of passion without consideringhow the intervention influences theother type. However,
a person-centered approach considers the work passion profiles of individual employees;
therefore, an intervention based on this approach can be more effective.
Theory development
A dualistic model of passion
Vallerand et al. (2003) proposed that interest transforms into passion when individuals place a high
value on an activity to which they attend and regard the activity as something that represents
their core self or identity. Drawing on SDT (Deci and Ryan, 2002), these scholars classify passion
into harmonious passion and obsessive passion based on the ways in which one internalizes the
particular passion as part of one’s identity. Autonomous internalization leads to harmonious
passion, which is the passion that individuals feel freely and willingly when attending to an
activity. As such, harmonious passion is in harmony with other activities in an individual’s life.
Conversely, controlled internalization leads to obsessive passion, which is the passion that emerges
from interpersonal pressure, social acceptance, or an uncontrollable desire to engage in an activity.
As a result, this passion for the activity assumes a disproportionate space in an individual’s
identity and may cause conflict with other activities in the person’s life (Vallerand et al., 2003).
The dualistic model of passion has spurred a great deal of research into how harmonious
and obsessive passion, respectively, relate to work outcomes (Burke et al., 2015; Carpentier
et al., 2012; Kim et al., 2015; Lavigne et al., 2012; Vallerand, 2012; Vallerand et al., 2010;
Yukhymenko-Lescroart and Sharma, 2018). Although the dualistic model and the variable-
centered approachused to test the model have made extremely valuable contributions to the
field of work passion, they are not without limitations. The variable-centered approach
overlookshow the two types of work passion interact withone another within individualsand
how the configurations of work passionare organized within individuals (Howard et al.,2 016).
Work passion profiles
We suggest that examining the co-occurrence and the configurations of harmonious and
obsessive passion are important. The dualistic model of passion aligns with SDT
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Structure,
antecedent,
and outcomes
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