Kira F. Schabram
Assistant Professor
University of Washington
schabram@uw.edu
Website
Related Research Interests
My primary research interests are deeply meaningful work, moral duty, and callings, particularly among individual who cite prosocial value or care-giving as a primary mandate. From a positive relationships perspective, I am interested in how these individuals form, sustain, and evaluate relationships in the organizational sphere, both with those who do and do not share their sense of calling. In particular, I am curious about how they build high-quality connections and a community. Tangentially, I am also interested in how work that is primarily prosocial in nature influences cooperation and trust within organizations.
My current research projects focus on the expression of callings in significantly constrained environments such as dirty work occupations or non-profit organizations in which limited budgets and red tape limit possible work goals. I am conducting field research in two social service sectors (animal welfare and assisted living) to understand how social relationships influence the perception of and reaction to organizational constraints. I explore both the path of those who manage to sustain their calling in the face of adversity and those who leave their occupation. In addition, I am involved in two studies examining the giving and receiving of trust and individuals’ openness to cooperation in social service settings respectively.
