Mediator analysis of passion for work in Indian millennials

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between protean career attitude (PCA) and proactive work behaviors (PWB) and with the theoretical underpinning of self-determination theory to ascertain if passion for work acts as a mediator for PCA and PWB. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 255 millennial employees working in diverse industries in India (such as information technology, banking and education) was conducted. Regression analysis was used to measure the direct effects of the hypothesized relationships. Sobel test and bootstrapping analysis were used to measure the indirect effects of the hypothesized relationship. Findings PCA assists in fostering passion for work. Passion for work is positively related with PWB and fully mediates the relationship between PCA and PWB. Practical implications Employers should provide flexibility in work design and autonomy in career decisions. Also, Human resource managers should provide career growth opportunities to retain millennial talent. Originality/value This study bridges the knowledge gap between different domains of knowledge including PCA, passion for work and PWB. This study is one of the rare attempts to understand the relationship between PCA and PWB through the lens of passion for work. It also bridges the gap relating to its context. With an increasing number of millennials in workforce in India, an understanding of their career attitudes and outcome behaviors has become a significant concern. The results of the present study underpin career motivation theory, self-determination theory and generational cohort theory.

Insight to Impact: The Effect of Protean Career Attitude on Employability Perceptions of IT Professionals

“…Individuals with high protean career attitude feel they are responsible for their career opportunities and are self-directed. These protean talents perform without any regular supervision and are adaptive to the changing work environment (Gulyani & Bhatnagar, 2017). Thus, by using an appropriate strategy, the firms can influence a protean talent's perceived internal employability, which may retain them in the current organization.…”

“…The IT industry has the peculiarity that the organisations provide an opportunity for employees to explore multiple occupations within an organisation as part of job structure (Ortega, 2001). The Indian IT sector experiences rapid changes and innovations which provides scope for a protean employee to explore the innumerable opportunities available to them on their own (Gulyani & Bhatnagar, 2017). Joseph et al (2012) have found that organisational mobility is the highest for the IT industry.…”

“…The study also reveals that career mobility of IT professions has helped employees to leverage their general human capital to augment themselves to 'key managerial positions'. In spite of the vast changes occurring in the field, very few studies have come up looking into changing career attitude of employees (Gulyani & Bhatnagar, 2017;Soumyaja et al, 2018) and its impact on life and career outcomes.…”

Can employees perform well if they fear for their lives? Yes – if they have a passion for work

“…Beyond this general recommendation, this study is particularly pertinent for defining ways in which pertinent personal resources can help employees cope with terrorism threats (Gulyani and Bhatnagar, 2017). To the extent that managers can recruit and retain employees who derive great satisfaction from their work, they can protect themselves better against the danger that their employee bases halt performance-enhancing entrepreneurial behaviours in response to external threats of terrorism.…”

A predictive study of antecedent variables of Passion towards Work

“…35, nº 3 (october) obsessive passions, and Obsessive passion results from a controlled internalization of the activity into the person's identity. In this sense, Gulyani and Bhatnagar (2017) indicate that Individual orientation at workplace affects passion levels. Passion for work relates positively to proactive work behavior.…”