title: Confirmation of Maslow's Hypothesis of Synergy: Developing an Acceptance of Selfishness at the Workplace Scale.
abstract: This study aimed to develop a new Acceptance of Selfishness at the Workplace Scale (ASWS) and to confirm Maslow's hypothesis of synergy: if both a sense of contribution and acceptance of selfishness at the workplace are high, workers are psychologically healthy. In a cross-sectional study with employees of three Japanese companies, 656 workers answered a self-administered questionnaire on paper completely (response rate = 66.8%). Each questionnaire was submitted to us in a sealed envelope and analyzed. The ASWS indicated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86). Significant (p < 0.001) positive moderate correlations between ASWS scores and job control scores support the ASWS's convergent and discriminant validity. Significant (p < 0.001) associations of ASWS scores with psychological distress and work engagement supported the ASWS's criterion validity. In short, ASWS was a psychometrically satisfactory measure. Significant (p < 0.05) interactions between a sense of contribution and acceptance of selfishness at the workplace in linear regression models showed that when those two factors are low, psychological distress becomes high. However, when a sense of contribution and acceptance of selfishness are high, work engagement also becomes high. Thus, Maslow's hypothesis of synergy was confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Sanyo Gakuen University Graduate School of Nursing, 1-14-1 Hirai, Naka-ku, Okayama-shi, Okayama 703-8507, Japan. jirosinryounaika-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Welfare System and Health Science, Okayama Prefectural University, 111 Kuboki, Soja-shi, Okayama 719-1197, Japan. taniguti@fhw.oka-pu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshiyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Welfare System and Health Science, Okayama Prefectural University, 111 Kuboki, Soja-shi, Okayama 719-1197, Japan. fujii@fhw.oka-pu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuhito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000533:Altruism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011594:Psychometrics; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Abraham H. Maslow; Ricardo Semler; acceptance of selfishness; altruism; calling; job control; mental health; sense of contribution; synergy; work engagement