The Road to Melting: How Different Work Orientation Shape Organizational Cohesion

Traditional cohesion research focuses on leadership style and institutional design, but it is difficult to explain the 'abnormal reversal' of employee motivation and behavior. This study breaks through the 'structure-function' paradigm. It constructs a dynamic model of 'motivation-mission-environment' based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT). It systematically reveals the asymmetric mechanism by which Work Orientation (job-career-calling) affects Organizational Cohesion through Mission Valence. We further explored the moderating role of Organizational Climate. Through three progressive studies (N=191 tracking questionnaire, N=399 scenario experiment, N=971 cross-level field study), Study 1 found that: (1) job orientation significantly weakened organizational cohesion (β=-0.158, p=0.018), while career orientation (β=0.137, p=0.019) and calling orientation (β=0.373, p<0.001) strengthened organizational cohesion, with calling orientation as the most important. (2) Mission Valence plays a fully mediating role in the triple relationship (calling orientation ab=0.265 > career orientation ab=0.054 > life-seeking orientation ab=-0.053) and that both main and mediating effects are attenuated by the organizational climate; (3) Scenario experiments (4 × 2 between-subjects design) showed that high organizational climate significantly enhanced cohesion across all orientations (F=555.154, p<0.001, η²=0.589) and attenuated motivational differences (interaction effect F=7.506, p<0.001); and that Mission Valence was most significantly suppressed for calling orientation in low organizational climate (Md =-0.577, p = 0.004). Cross-level analyses further revealed that the destructive nature of job orientation at the organizational level (β=-0.890, p<0.001) outweighed the constructive nature of calling orientation (β=0.656, p=0.002), and career orientation was no longer influential at the organizational level. This study is the first to integrate the interaction between individual motivational differences and organizational environment to provide a dynamic explanation of the cohesion formation mechanism and to provide a scientific basis for the construction of a 'motivation-environment' fit strategy. The findings challenge the traditional 'one-size-fits-all' intervention assumption, expand the cross-level applicability of SDT, and provide theoretical support for human resource management in the public sector. In the future, we can deepen the study of motivation-cohesion dynamics by combining multi-industry samples and tracking design.