The Mechanism of the &#x0201c;Search for and Presence of &#x0201d; Career Calling Fit on Innovative Behavior

Zhou Jie

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240516

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (5) : 1173-1183. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240516

Social，Personality & Organizational Psychology

The Mechanism of the “Search for and Presence of ” Career Calling Fit on Innovative Behavior

Zhou Jie

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Abstract

Achieving a high degree of scientific and technological self-reliance has become essential in the contemporary international strategic landscape, where scientific and technological innovation is the primary battlefield. Enhancing the innovative behavior of R&D personnel is the foundation of achieving this goal. Consequently, how to stimulate their innovative behavior is an enduring topic of interest among both academics and innovative industry professionals.With the changing demands of people who no longer prioritize material feedback from their work, but instead focus on the meaning of work and the realization of self-value, research on the intricate relationship between career calling and innovative behavior has emerged as a salient topic in the fields of occupational psychology and organizational behavior.
The work as a calling theory categorizes the influence of the presence of career calling on work outcomes through living a calling. Nevertheless, this framework does not consider the significant variable of search for career calling, which cannot provide a basis for the correlation between the search for and presence of career calling and innovative behavior. In addition, search for career calling and presence of career calling are two distinct concepts, yet few studies have explored the relationship between them, and the existing research findings are contradictory. Hence, based on the work as a calling theory and conservation of resources theory, this study examines the process and boundary mechanism of the “search for and presence of” career calling fit on innovative behavior.
A questionnaire survey is conducted among 985 scientific and technological R&D employees.The polynomial regression and response surface analysis were used.The results show that: (1)Compared with“low search for and low presence of” fit, “high search for and high presence of”fit has a higher level of innovative behavior and living a calling. Compared with “high search for and low presence of” fit, “low search for and high presence of” fit has a stronger impact on innovative behavior and living a calling.Compared with the incongruence in “search for and presence of” fit, the more congruence is, the more it can increase individuals' innovative behavior and living a calling. (2) Living a calling mediates the relationship between “search for and presence of” career calling fit and innovative behavior. (3) At both the high and low levels of perceived inner status, the effects of more congruence in “search for and presence of” career calling rather than incongruence, “high search for and high presence of” fit rather than “low search for and low presence of” fit, and “low search for and high presence of” fit rather than “high search for and low presence of ” fit on living a calling are stronger.
This research responds to the scholars'calls for a comprehensive examination of the intricate connection between the “search for and presence of” career calling fit and its influence on work outcomes. It not only adds to the existing literature on the search for career calling, broadens the research framework of work as a calling theory, but also offers new insights for future research on how “search for and presence of” career calling fit affects other work and life outcomes.Moreover, this paper establishes a logical sequence of how “search for and presence of” career calling fit can motivate individuals to live out a calling and consequently promote innovative behavior. It also tests the applicability of the work as a calling theory in the context of Chinese science and technology enterprise context, thereby enriching the research system of the antecedents and outcomes of living a calling. Finally, it provides a more comprehensive research perspective to gain a deeper understanding of when and how “search for and presence of” career calling fit can affect living a calling and foster innovative behavior.

Key words

search for career calling / presence of career calling / living a calling / innovative behavior / perceived inner status

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Zhou Jie. The Mechanism of the “Search for and Presence of ” Career Calling Fit on Innovative Behavior[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2024, 47(5): 1173-1183 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240516

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