A Cultural Lens Approach to Promoting Work as a Calling

Abstract

Within the last decade, research on work as a calling—usually defined as an internal or external summons toward purposeful work that contributes to the common good—has exponentially increased. In recent years, it also has become a global phenomenon, with scholars from more than 20 countries now represented in the literature. Research has demonstrated that a sense of calling is associated with meaning and satisfaction in one’s career, work and life, and that individuals who feel they are living a calling are often among the happiest, most committed, and most engaged employees within their organizations. While efforts have been made to articulate practice recommendations, those recommendations currently extend far beyond the empirical base. Indeed, research on interventions intended to foster a sense of calling, especially research that is sensitive to diverse cultural influences, remains a substantial need. The Cultural Lens Approach (Hardin, Robitschek, Flores, Navarro & Ashton, in American Psychologist 69(7):656–668, 2014) offers a systematic strategy for evaluating the ways that culture influences the interpretation, operationalization, and application of calling in assisting individuals (via counseling, coaching, or managing) who desire greater meaning from their work. This chapter applies the Cultural Lens Approach to assist researchers and practitioners in designing and investigating interventions intended to cultivate a sense of calling informed by relevant cultural assumptions within and across diverse contexts.