Employees Journey to meaningful work
In today's challenging global landscape, organizations must constantly adapt and undergo radical transformations to survive and thrive. Employees' commitment to both the organization and the change process is critical for successful transformations. Recognizing this, organizations should not only focus on providing goods and services but also on fostering an environment where employees can find meaning and purpose at work. Given that meaning is inherently subjective, it's imperative for organizations to create personalized journeys that enable employees to discover meaningfulness in their roles.
Employees Journey to meaningful work
In an era where competition is fierce, climate crises are intensifying, and technological advancements are widening social inequalities, organizations find themselves at a crossroads. It's not just about keeping up with market demands anymore, with environmental sustainability and social responsibility. But amidst these sweeping changes, a crucial question arises: How can organizations ensure that their employees remain committed and engaged? Employees are seeking deeper meaning and purpose in their work, a personalized connection that can't be achieved through a one-size-fits-all approach. So, can organizations truly foster an environment where each individual finds meaningfulness in their role?
A must-have ! Meaningfulness at Work.
In a world where competition is at its peak, climate crises loom, and technological advancements exacerbate inequalities, organizations face unprecedented challenges. Environmental sustainability and social responsibility are at higher stakes than ever, pushing organizations to evolve rapidly. The changes required are often radical, altering not just procedures but also underlying values and beliefs[1] [2].
Organizations depend on individuals to implement these changes successfully. However, change is inherently stressful and can have a cumulative negative impact on employees [14]. As Rosabeth Moss Kanter aptly said,
"Change is disturbing when it is done to us, exhilarating when it is done by us" [15].
To mitigate stress and foster successful transformations, employees' commitment is essential. Studies have shown that commitment boosts job performance and reduces absenteeism and turnover [5]. Cultivating meaningful work is a powerful way to enhance employee engagement and retention [12]. Meaningful work has been associated with various positive outcomes, including job satisfaction, identity formation, and relationship development, all contributing to increased commitment [20].
Can organizations make that happen?
The Unrealistic Expectation
Some believe that working in organizations that deliver products or services for the greater good is sufficient for employees to experience engagement and meaningfulness. While serving others or contributing to the greater good is a central driver of meaningful work [10], this alone is insufficient. If it were, all employees in sectors like healthcare, education, and non-profits would constantly feel fully engaged and committed.
Meaning and purpose are largely in the eyes of the beholder. Michaelson and Ashforth contend that meaningfulness is necessarily subjective, doubting that there are any universal meanings [18]. Even when people share a common purpose, the translation into daily meaning varies based on individual interpretations and life satisfaction [19].
"Meaning Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All"
Not only is it unrealistic for organizations to provide meaning and purpose to everyone, but attempts at "meaning management" can also backfire, leading to the erosion of meaningful work [4].
So, how can organizations make that happen?
Personalized Journey to Meaningfulness
As emphasized by Edgar H. Schein, the environment and the forces behind its creation significantly influence people's behavior [22]. Organizations should focus on
“enabling opportunities for meaningfulness creation” [4].
When employees are given autonomy to be themselves and meet their basic psychological needs, they can create their own meaningfulness without the organization imposing it [13].
Organizations can guide employees on a personalized journey to find meaning at work by nurturing opportunities through various levers at different levels:
Organizational Level
Creating an ethical environment with a strong positive social and ecological impact enhances employees' experiences of work meaningfulness [1]. Encouraging the formation of communities within the organization helps employees find meaning, as the self is often inseparable from the community [16]. Empowering communities of practice increases flexibility, creativity, and learning potential, connecting individuals to their dignity and humanity [9]. Additionally, enabling personal growth opportunities is key, as self-cultivation is considered a feature of a meaningful life [7].
Management Level
Leaders can enhance their followers' sense of meaningfulness by connecting daily tasks to the organization's ultimate aspirations [13]. Helping employees understand how their work contributes to larger goals increases their sense of meaningfulness [3].
Job Level
By proactively crafting their job demands and resources, employees can directly experience greater work meaningfulness [20]. This also optimizes their person-job fit [8].
Individual Level
Organizations can support employees by offering counseling or coaching to help them recognize and leverage their strengths in service of others [6]. Using one's signature strengths to serve something larger than oneself is a cornerstone of meaningfulness [11].
Wrap up
Given the growing demand for meaningful work, especially among the millennial generation and in the post-pandemic world, meaningfulness at work has taken center stage in organizations. Addressing this need is crucial for enhancing employee commitment, which is vital for successful transformations.
Organizations should focus on fostering personalized journeys to meaningfulness at work, rather than attempting to provide universal meaning and purpose. Considering the high stakes and the complexity of the subject, it's critical for organizations to develop in-house strategies that explore various levers at different levels.
Samar El Hachem
May 2024
1. Aguinis, H., & Glavas, A. (2013). Embedded versus peripheral corporate social responsibility: Psychological foundations. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6(4), 314–332.
2. Huy, Q. N. (1999). Emotional Capability, Emotional Intelligence, and Radical Change. Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 325-345.
3. Allan, B. A. (2017). Task significance and meaningful work: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 102, 174–182.
4. Bailey, C., Madden, A., Alfes, K., Shantz, A., & Soane, E. (2017). The mismanaged soul: Existential labor and the erosion of meaningful work. Human Resource Management Review, 27, 416–430.
5. Becker, T. E., Billings, R. S., Eveleth, D. M., & Gilbert, N. L. (1996). Foci and bases of employee commitment: Implications for job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 464–482.
6. Dik, B. J., Duffy, R. D., & Eldridge, B. M. (2009). Calling and Vocation in Career Counseling—Recommendations for Promoting Meaningful Work. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(6), 625–632.
7. Thomas, L. (2005). Morality and a meaningful life. Philosophical Papers, 34(3), 405.
8. Tims, M., Derks, D., & Bakker, A. B. (2016). Job crafting and its relationships with person–job fit and meaningfulness: A three-wave study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 92, 44–53.
9. Capra, F. (2003). Chapter 4 - 'Life and Leadership in Organizations' in The Hidden Connections - A Science for Sustainable Living. London: Flamingo, pp. 85-112.
10. Christopher Michaelson (2019) - The Oxford Handbook of Meaningful Work
11. Seligman, M. E. P., Rashid, T., & Parks, A. C. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 61, 774–788.
12. Deloitte (2017). Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends: Rewriting the rules for the digital age.
13. Lysova, E. I., Allan, B. A., Dik, B. J., Duffy, R. D., & Steger, M. F. (2019). Fostering meaningful work in Organizations: A multi-level review and integration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110, 374-389.
14. Mukerjee, J., Montani, F., & Vandenberghe, C. (2021). A dual model of coping with and commitment to Organizational change: The role of appraisals and resources. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(5), 1144-1161.
15. Kanter, R. M. (1983). The Change Masters. New York: Simon and Schuster.
16. Kupperman, J. J. (2007). Tradition and Community in the Formation of Character and Self. In Confucian Ethics: A comparative study of self, autonomy, and community, pp. 103–123. New York: Cambridge University Press.
17. Hochschild, A. (1979). Emotion work, feeling rule, and social structure. American Journal of Sociology, 85, 551-575.
18. Michaelson, C., Pratt, M. G., Grant, A. M., & Dunn, C. P. (2014). Meaningful work: Connecting business ethics and Organization studies. Journal of Business Ethics, 121(1), 77–90.
19. Park, C. L. (2012). Religious and spiritual aspects of meaning in the context of work life. In The psychology of religion and workplace spirituality, pp. 25–42. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
20. Petrou, P., Bakker, A. B., & Van den Heuvel, M. (2017). Weekly job crafting and leisure crafting: Implications for meaning-making and work engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 90, 129–152.
21. Rosso, B. D., Dekas, K. H., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2010). On the meaning of work: A theoretical integration and review. Research in Organizational Behavior, 30, 91–127.
22. Schein, E. H. (1996). Culture: The Missing Concept in Organization Studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(2), 229-240.
