Probing the role of psychosocial career mechanisms in the harmonious work passion-career satisfaction link
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2018-0023 |
| Published date | 02 August 2019 |
| Date | 02 August 2019 |
| Pages | 1135-1149 |
| Author | Melinde Coetzee,Marais Salemon Bester |
| Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour |
Probing the role of psychosocial
career mechanisms in
the harmonious work
passion-career satisfaction link
Melinde Coetzee and Marais Salemon Bester
Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology,
University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore the association of harmonious work passion with career
satisfaction, while probing the mediating role of employees’psychological career resources and career
preoccupations as important psychosocial career mechanisms in this association.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper is a cross-sectional quantitative study comprising a sample
of (n¼550) employees in various South African organisations.
Findings –The current study found that individuals’career preferences, career drivers, career harmonisers
and career adaptation preoccupations are dynamic mechanisms that regulate the link between harmonious
passion and career satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications –The study is located in South Africa and was cross-sectional in
design. Generalisation to other occupational contexts and establishing cause-effectrelations were not possible.
Practical implications –This paper demonstrates the usefulness of harmonious work passion as an
additional positive psychological construct in understanding the psychosocial motivational career
mechanisms that drive employees’career satisfaction. The mediating role of certain psychological career
resources (i.e. flexible career preferences, career drivers and career harmonisers) and career adaptation
preoccupations in the link between employees’harmonious passion and career satisfaction need to be
considered in career management support practices.
Social implications –This paper demonstrates the growing need to better understand the psychosocial
mechanisms that influence employees’career satisfaction.
Originality/value –The study contributed new insights that extend theory and research on the harmonious
work passion phenomenon in relation to important career constructs in the work-career context by means of
self-determination theory.
Keywords Quantitative, Career satisfaction, Career preoccupations, Harmonious work passion,
Psychological career resources
Paper type Research paper
The career satisfaction of employees has important retention implications for organisations
that compete for scarce and critical talent in today’s more volatile and competitive business
environment (Dahling and Lauricella,2017). Academic scholars identifycareer satisfaction as
an important indicator of career success,well-being and adaptation (Mauno et al., 2014; Spurk
et al., 2015; Xie et al., 2016). Employees who experience career satisfaction are more likely to
remain with their employers, have the intrinsic motivation to persist when confronted with
vocational challenges and to maintain harmonious work-life balance as an aspect of their
career well-being (Armstrong-Stassen and Ursel, 2009; Dahling and Lauricella, 2017;
Greenhaus and Ten Brummelhuis, 2013; Sultana et al., 2016). However, in today’smore
uncertain business environment, the notion of career satisfaction has become more complex
with employees striving to fulfil personal needs in pursuing careers that are meaningful and Personnel Review
Vol. 48 No. 5, 2019
pp. 1135-1149
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-01-2018-0023
Received 18 January 2018
Revised 8 July 2018
Accepted 11 November 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
The authors declare that they received no external funding for the research. The authors declare that
the paper is original and their own work and has not been submitted elsewhere.
1135
Psychosocial
career
mechanisms
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