THE BELIEF STRUCTURE OF MANAGERS RELATIVE TO WORK CONCEPTS MEASURED BY A FACTOR ANALYTIC MODEL1

Studies in the early seventies suggested that the traditional work ethic position was changing and that the American worker was expressing new needs for interesting and challenging work. Current management practices in many companies are attempting to meet these new needs of workers for interesting jobs through a movement called human resource development. This suggests the need for research into the beliefs that inform this movement. The following study based on a sample of 366 managers shows that they have an orientation to work based on humanistic beliefs rather than the traditional work ethic position. Thus the new management style exemplified in the HRD movement may not simply be a push for increased performance, but may also be supported by a set of beliefs regarding the nature of work that is consistent with this style. This new orientation, however, does not include any positive beliefs relative to worker participation in decision-making. The latter is rejected very strongly by all the managers surveyed.