Protestant Work Ethic, Confucian Values, and Work-Related Attitudes in Singapore
- 5 August 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Career Assessment
- Vol. 22 (2), 304-316
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072713493985
Abstract
The current article examined the extent to which Western Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) and Eastern Confucian values would influence employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment in an East Asian culture. Based on survey data from 151 employees in Singapore, the study showed that these two values have distinct relationships with job-related attitudes. The PWE had significant relationships with affective, continuance, and normative organizational commitment, whereas the Confucian value dimensions of diligence and harmony were significantly related to job satisfaction and affective/normative commitment, respectively. Additional dominance analysis revealed that Confucian harmony was more useful in predicting affective commitment, whereas PWE was more useful in predicting normative commitment. The cultural validity of the PWE and the cultural specificity of the Confucian values are discussed along with practical implications of the research findings.Keywords
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