Identification and measurement of work-dedication

Abstract

People frequently use the word dedication to make social attributions and judgements. The imprecision of literary definitions of dedication restricts their operational use. Consequently, a more precise formulation of the construct is required for initiating an inquiry into the dedication phenomenon. This study advances the notion of dedication-to-work (or work-dedication) for operational purposes. Work-dedication is defined as the disposition of the employee to volitionally engage in affectively unpleasant and non-rewarding organizationally relevant behaviors being controlled by cognitions of doing what is appropriate for the organization. A modified version of the affective-informational influences framework is presented as the theoretical base of work-dedication. This framework incorporates the influence on behavior of norms emphasizing situational requirements. Work dereliction and work-encapsulation are posited as notions allied to the work-dedication construct. Further, this study develops and validates the Situation-Response Questionnaires (SRO) for measuring work-dedication and allied constructs. This study contributes to theory in that it attends to performance differentials of employees on tasks which evoke experiences and anticipations of negative effect. It gains additional significance as tasks and organizations with properties known to cause employee-alienation are not uncommon in developing countries. The pragmatic value of this study is obtained from the uses of the SRQ in organizational settings. Finally, this study provides some directions for further inquiry into the work-dedication phenomenon.