Toward a Cross-Cultural Understanding of Work-Related Beliefs

Although psychology's contribution to a study of the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) made a slow start we now have an impressive array of studies which have examined this construct, even cross-culturally, and find that not only is this construct seemingly alive and well, but also that it is espoused more strongly by non-Protestant and non-Western countries. Furnham (1990b) examined a composite of seven scales designed to measure the PWE, and found that several factors could be identified. A study was undertaken to compare the meaning of work in two different cultures, one "Western" Christian (Australian) and the other non-Western Buddhist (Sri Lankan). The results suggest that both cultures have similar perceptions about the meaning of work, but Sri Lankans seem to be more strongly committed to hard work. Although work related beliefs seem to be similar, Sri Lankans do not endorse the belief that hard work leads to success as enthusiastically as Australians do.