Management Review

Management Review ›› 2026, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (1): 143-152.

• Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management • Previous Articles    

Keeping the Original Aspiration and Founding Mission in Mind: The Content Structure of Occupational Calling of Skilled Talents and Its Impact on Creativity

Zhou Xiaoxue1,2, Yu Zhen3, Xie Baoguo4,5, Han Yanfang6   

  1. 1. National Institute of Transportation Department, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044;
    2. Sustainable Transportation Innovation Center, National High-level Think Tank, Beijing 100044;
    3. School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044;
    4. School of Management, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070;
    5. Research Institute of Digital Governance and Management Decision Innovation, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070;
    6. Student Affairs Department, Beijing Vocational College of Labour and Social Security, Beijing 100029
  • Received:2024-09-23 Published:2026-02-10

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Abstract: Driven by innovation, the current development of new quality productive forces places higher demands on the creativity of skilled talents. Occupational calling, serving as a crucial source of intrinsic motivation, significantly influences the creativity of these talents. Therefore, this study constructs a content structure model of occupational calling of skilled talents, encompassing five dimensions: professional adherence, altruistic contribution, guidance force, pursuit of excellence, and meaning and value. The model is developed through literature review, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis, leading to a new measurement tool for empirical testing. A longitudinal survey with 380 skilled employees is conducted, utilizing structural equation modeling to examine how occupational calling influences creativity of skilled talents. Results show that:(1) occupational calling is positively related to psychological ownership of skilled talents;(2) psychological ownership is positively related to the creativity of skilled talents;(3) psychological ownership mediates the relationship between occupational calling and creativity of skilled talents;(4) person-organization fit amplifies the mediating role of psychological ownership in the relationship between occupational calling on creativity of skilled talents. In the end, theoretical implications, practical significance, and limitations are discussed.

Key words: skilled talents, occupational calling, creativity, psychological ownership, person-environment fit