Jui-Ping Hung
Department of Psychology Fu-Jen Catholic University
Chaoming Liu
Department of Psychology Fu-Jen Catholic University
The authors distinguished four definitions of work values and asserted that focal interests of work values research are to understand the nature of work, the change of work values, the effects of work values on performance and related outcomes, and the effects of the individual’s value system on his job choice. The amount of work values research in Taiwan is increasing indicating that the issue is receiving more attention now. However, most of these studies adopted the etic approach, using Western concepts and tools directly. Major shortcomings include the lack of clear theoretical concepts, lack of consideration of social contexts, and problematic measurements. In the recent years, three tracks of studies adopting the emic approach have emerged. The first one attempted a theoretical test on the Post-Confucian hypothesis, the other two are trying to incoporate cultural factors and to develop an indigenous scale of work values. These studies have progressed on culture issues, but there are still theoretical and methodological problems. In response to those problems, the authors proposed two theoretical models and outlined directions for future research.
Keywords: values, work values, occupational values, the meaning of work