ABSTRACT
The question of work orientation has long been of interest in sociology. Work orientation is often defined as an individual’s attitudes toward work in general and is closely related to work values, that is, the qualities that people regard as important in a job (Parker et al. 1972). In the 1960s, John Goldthorpe, David Lockwood, Frank Bechhofer and Jennifer Platt (1968) found what they called three ‘ideal-typical’ orientations toward a job: an instrumental, a solidaristic and a bureaucratic orientation. The instrumental orientation is one in which a job is regarded as just a way to get the financial means for life outside work. For a worker with a solidaristic orientation, a job is viewed as an end in itself, that is, as a meaningful group activity and as important for one’s identity. The bureaucratic orientation also characterizes a job as something more than just a way to get the financial means for life outside work. The bureaucrat often has a commitment to the organization, and is hence more involved in his/her job. This commitment, however, is not independent of expectations of advancement.
