The Psychology of Becoming a Successful Worker ― Research on the Changing Nature of Achievement at Work

What is success at work and why is it important? How do top workers describe their success? How can work, community, leadership, family, or home and school promote success?

Success at work is often associated with career-oriented individuals who sacrifice other areas of life to achieve highly in the workplace, but success can also be defined in other ways. It can consist of feelings of knowledge, competence and accomplishment, stemming from an inner drive to work well and create an expression of mastery. This book focuses on employees who have been rewarded for their skills and expertise.

Based on the authors’ in-depth research into the phenomenon of success at work, this book provides a positive human-strength based approach to success and offers a fresh viewpoint to the modern, demanding and hectic work life. Drawing from the theory of positive psychology and outlining new theoretical ideas including work motivation, career orientation, work characteristics, and positive states of work, success is described as a combination of multiple elements which include other areas of life. The book is illustrated throughout with case studies from employees, and it will ignite thoughts about what success at work is and can be, and how to recognize factors which enhance or hinder success in varying contexts.

Considering a variety of data, this book will appeal to researchers and academics from the fields of work and organisational psychology, positive psychology, career counselling and coaching.

Satu Uusiautti is Adjunct Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and a Researcher in the Department of Education at the University of Lapland, Finland.

Kaarina Maatta is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Lapland, Finland.