Attitude to Labor among Learners of Industrial Colleges in Russia, China and Iran

Abstract

Introduction. A contradiction which we are able to observe over a few recent decades between necessity to participate in innovative processes and their natural stressogenic character has underlined the importance of developing programs for proactive organizational socialization which will be capable of building up successful behavior competences in VUCA environment in Industry 4.0. When self-actualization in labor is being devalued, attitude to labor is now considered as a key competence. Purpose: to reveal features of attitude to labor as a basis of professional socialization of learners studying at industrial colleges in countries which are now entering the new technological reality with a different degree of success: Russia, China and Iran. Materials and Methods. The analysis draws on the data obtained with WorkBAT method developed by J. Spence and A. Robbins, and their correlation with the values of organizational cultures which are characteristic of industrial colleges. The data on organizational cultures were obtained with OCAI method developed by C. Cameron and R. Quinn. Results. Russian students do not feel the changed nature of labor, their attitude to it is substituted by a wish to strengthen clan-based and loosen hierarchical components of the organizational cultures. Iranian students have a negative attitude to labor in a real hierarchical environment and a positive attitude to it in an innovative market environment, which suggests that they would be engaged and emotionally satisfied. Chinese students, having experienced specific organizational cultures of innovative companies in real life, have a positive attitude to labor in a hierarchical environment of stability and certainty. Discussion and Conclusion. The findings contribute to the development of scientific understanding of the role of value-based work readiness in the turbulent environment of a modern enterprise and the psychological mechanisms of proactive organizational socialization, taking into account socio-cultural country specificity.