Contact: Marcia Miceli, (614) 292-3982; [email protected]
Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; [email protected]
SOME WORKAHOLICS MAY BE HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Workaholics have a bad reputation as people whose obsession with work is often harmful to themselves and possibly even bad for their companies.
But a new analysis of previous research suggests that there may be "good" workaholics: people who work a lot because they enjoy their jobs, have strong career identities and a desire for upward mobility.
These people might be called "achievement-oriented workaholics," said Marcia Miceli, co-author of the new analysis and professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University's Max M. Fisher College of Business.
"Workaholism can be good or bad," Miceli said. "Achievement-oriented workaholics in particular apparently don't work to overcome some personal deficit, but because they actually thrive on hard work."
Two other types of workaholics that Miceli and her co- authors proposed -- perfectionist and compulsive-dependent -- may not always fare so well for themselves or their organizations.
Miceli and two alumnae of Ohio State's Ph.D. program, Kimberly Scott and Keirsten Moore, conducted an analysis of more than 50 previous journal articles and books about workaholism. Their findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Human Relations.
Most of the books and articles about workaholics have been written by clinical psychologists who have treated self-described workaholics or by organizational consultants who have helped companies deal with workaholic employees. Because of the lack of hard research, it's too early to say anything definitive about workaholics, Miceli said. But based on what has been written so far, she said workaholics can probably be identified by three major attributes:
-- They give up important family, social and recreational activities because of work.
-- They work beyond what is reasonably expected to meet their job requirements or economic needs.
-- They frequently and persistently think of work, even when they're not working.
"But along with these similarities, the research we reviewed seemed to suggest there are different reasons why people are workaholics," Miceli said. As a result, she and her colleagues classified workaholics into compulsive- dependent, perfectionist and achievement oriented.
Compulsive-dependent workaholics have a compulsion to work, Miceli said. They recognize that their work is excessive, but are unable to reduce or control it. They feel anxious and upset when they aren't working. These workers may end up with higher levels of stress and more health complaints than other workers. They probably have lower levels of job performance (at least relative to the time devoted to work) than do non-workaholic employees.
Perfectionist workaholics have an unusually strong need to be in control, which can lead to inflexibility, rigidity and quests for power at work, Miceli said. These workaholics may do well in organizations where they have ample opportunities to exert the control they desire. But in other organizations, they may have hostile relationships with co-workers, have difficulty delegating work, and show lower levels of job performance.
Achievement-oriented workaholics are hard-driving workers who may show "Type-A" behavior patterns, including competitiveness, a sense of urgency, and a strong desire for success. They enjoy their work, maintain high standards and are willing to put forth effort to attain excellence.
"Unlike other workaholics, the achievement-oriented are not dependent or obsessed with work," Miceli said. "They are high performers who choose to continue working to pursue personal achievement."
These workers probably don't suffer from the stress and anxiety that other workaholics do, and they are seen as excellent employees.
The biggest problem for achievement-oriented workaholics may come if they are pressured to accept more family responsibilities or spend more time in non-work activities, according to Miceli.
"People are always told to find a 'balance' between work and non-work roles, but that may not be healthy for everyone," she said. "It may be more beneficial to help achievement-oriented workaholics find ways to spend time doing what they enjoy -- working."
Miceli emphasized that these classifications of workaholics are still theoretical and need to be proven by empirical research. However, it seems clear that researchers need to keep an open mind about workaholism.
"We shouldn't make value judgments about workaholics based on the negative connotations that often accompany the term," she said. "There may be some healthy, well- functioning workaholics."
#
RSS