ItemArticle

Is There a Dark Side to Work Passion? Insights on Well-Being and Performance in the Evolving Knowledge Economy

Title
Is There a Dark Side to Work Passion? Insights on Well-Being and Performance in the Evolving Knowledge Economy
Creator
Annamalai, Sumathi; Prashar, Gaorisha; Mallika Sankar, M.
Description
Purpose: Work passion (WP) inspires employees to discover more profound meaning and fulfilment in their careers. However, is there a dark side to WP? This paper aimed to explore the answer to this question and test the mediating role of employee well-being in the relationship between WP and perceived performance. Design/Methodology/Approach: We employed a quantitative survey method, and 107 executive-level leaders, referred to as CXOs, participated. We administered the WP Scale, developed by Vallerand et al. (2003), further modified to suit the workplace by Ho et al. (2011), the Employee Wellbeing Scale developed by Pradhan and Hati (2019), and the Perceived Performance Scale developed by Karneli et al. (2015) for collecting data. We used Process MACRO (Model 4) for mediation analysis. Findings: The conclusions of the study indicated that while obsessive passion (OP) had a negative impact on workers well-being, harmonious passion (HP) had a positive influence on employee well-being. Both HP and performance, as well as OP and performance, were mediated by well-being. HP positively impacted performance, while performance was negatively impacted by OP. Practical Implications: The findings have numerous advantages for executive-level leaders, allowing them to strengthen employee well-being and organizational performance. They should first concentrate on creating a positive environment at work that encourages an HP. Second, the adverse impacts of OP on performance and well-being can be minimized by using programs designed to promote mental health, such as stress management tools and wellness initiatives. Originality/Value: This paper added to the body of research and knowledge by distinguishing between the different types of consequences (both positive and negative) of WP on employee well-being and performance. Organizational leaders, particularly CXOs, can gain insights from the papers contributions regarding the significance of creating a supportive work environment that maximizes HP and prevents obsessive behavior. 2025, Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Source
Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management;Volume;18;Issue;12;pp.35-48
Date
01-01-2025
Publisher
Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
Subject
employee well-being; harmonious passion; obsessive passion; passion; perceived performance; performance; well-being; work passion
Coverage
Annamalai S., School of Business and Management, CHRIST University, Bannerghatta Road, Karnataka, Bangalore, 560 076, India; Prashar G., Neovation Consultancy Services, Boston, MA, United States; Mallika Sankar M., Research, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, India
Rights
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
Relation
ISSN: 9752854;
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

Annamalai, Sumathi; Prashar, Gaorisha; Mallika Sankar, M., “Is There a Dark Side to Work Passion? Insights on Well-Being and Performance in the Evolving Knowledge Economy,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 18, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/23351.

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