Work Centrality and Its Impact on Organizational Behavior
Summary
Work centrality refers to the degree to which individuals regard work as a core life value and source of identity. As a construct, it shapes motivation, job satisfaction and the meaning employees derive from their roles. High work centrality often predicts greater engagement, commitment and willingness to invest discretionary effort, while low centrality may be linked to withdrawal and diminished organisational citizenship. Across diverse sectors and cultures, scholars have examined how individual differences in work centrality interact with job design, leadership style and socio‐economic context to influence discretionary behaviours, well‐being and career outcomes. The concept also underpins theories of the meaning of working, highlighting how cultural norms, hierarchical position and life stage inform whether work is perceived primarily as a means to an end, a source of social status, or an intrinsic calling. Practically, understanding work centrality informs retention strategies, talent management and the design of enriching roles that balance demands and resources. In an era of hybrid working, demographic shifts and debates over universal basic income, contemporary research emphasises the dynamic interplay between personal values and organisational systems in shaping both individual performance and broader workplace culture.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Work Centrality and Its Impact on Organizational Behavior publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in work centrality and its impact on organizational behavior across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Work centrality: The extent to which work occupies a central place in an individual’s life and identity.
Meaning of Working (MOW): A framework analysing how people interpret work’s role, purpose and values in their lives.
Job involvement: The degree of psychological identification with one’s job and its importance to self‐concept.
Structural constraint theory: A perspective positing that organisational and societal structures limit individual choice in work meanings.
Job demands–resources model: A theoretical model describing how job demands and available resources jointly influence engagement and well‐being.
References
- The basic income: Initiating the needed discussion in industrial, work, and organizational psychology. Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2021).
- The Relationship between Occupational/Supervisory Hierarchical Position and the Meaning Of Working: A Six Country Comparison. Psychologica Belgica (1995).
- Job involvement and valuation of job resources: The mediating effect of satisfaction with job resources. Intangible Capital (2023).
- El significado del trabajo en distintas generaciones de argentinos. Psicodebate (2022).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.