From career choice motivation to work-related outcomes via value congruence and identity fusion: a one-year longitudinal study of Korean police officers

In the present study, we examined the longitudinal relationship between motivation for choosing a police career and subsequent work engagement and emotional exhaustion, focusing on the sequential mediating roles of value congruence and identity fusion. Participants were 194 new police officers in South Korea who completed online surveys at two time points. At Time 1 (within one month of entering the police academy), participants reported their career choice motivations, perceived person–organization value congruence, work engagement, and emotional exhaustion. At Time 2 (one year after T1, six months after departmental assignment), they reported their levels of identity fusion with the police, work engagement, and emotional exhaustion. Results showed that intrinsic career choice motivation was positively associated with perceived value congruence during early training, which in turn was positively associated with identity fusion one year later. Finally, this indirect pathway was associated with higher work engagement and lower emotional exhaustion. These findings provide insights into early career development and offer practical implications for recruitment and management strategies within police organizations.