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."
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Contact: Marcia Miceli, (614) 292-3982; Miceli.1@osu.edu
Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu