A cluster-analytic study of personal values, work orientations, and job satisfaction among young adults in northern Italy

Abstract This study, drawing on the Multidimensional Model of Work Orientations, investigates the relationship between personal values, the meanings attributed to work (work orientations), and job satisfaction in a sample of young Italian adults. The aim of the research is to identify groups of young people who share similar interpretations of work and to explore how belonging to a group defined by work orientations relates to both personal values and perceived job satisfaction. A total of 894 young people aged between 18 and 35, living in a province in Northern Italy, participated in the study. A k-means cluster analysis was conducted on six dimensions of work orientations. Subsequently, a discriminant analysis was performed on 14 personal values, and an ANOVA was used to compare job satisfaction across four indicators (salary, job security, relationships with colleagues, and relationship with the supervisor) among the clusters. Four clusters were identified: Achievement-oriented, Functional, Prestige-detached, and Multivalent. The clusters differed significantly in terms of personal values (Wilks’ λ = 0.780; p < .001). The first discriminant function explained 83.9% of the variance and mainly distinguished the groups based on competitiveness, profit, merit, and tradition. Additionally, the Multivalent cluster exhibited high endorsement across work meanings and reported the highest levels of job satisfaction. In contrast, the Functional cluster, less oriented towards individualistic values, showed the lowest levels of satisfaction. The integration of personal values, work orientations, and job satisfaction offers insight into personal configurations of values and meanings attributed to work. This approach helps to interpret current phenomena such as career ambition, as well as widespread dissatisfaction and disillusionment among young people.