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1 – 10 of over 74000Francesco Tommasi, Riccardo Sartori, Andrea Ceschi and Stephan Dickert
The construct of meaningful work is a relevant topic for the managerial literature interested in job design, employees’ motivation, and job performance. The current research seeks…
Abstract
Purpose
The construct of meaningful work is a relevant topic for the managerial literature interested in job design, employees’ motivation, and job performance. The current research seeks to improve our knowledge on meaningful work by exploring the processes by which a workday is experienced as meaningful.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting the lens of the Job Demands-Resources model and Self-Determination theory, we argue that work conditions and psychological conditions are associated with the experience of meaningful work on a daily basis. Moreover, we propose that the experience of meaningful work on a long-term basis (i.e. the evaluation of one’s own work as holding significance per se) intensifies the associations between daily conditions and the experience of meaningful work. We collected data via an event-based longitudinal diary study for a total sample of N = 114 employees from six organizations and N = 545 observations.
Findings
Results of the multilevel analysis showed that competence and task significance led to the experience of meaningful work during working days. Moreover, cross-level analyses revealed that these associations are stronger for employees who experience their work to be meaningful in the long-term.
Originality/value
The novelty of the present study lies in highlighting the role of specific factors contributing to the experience of meaningful work during a workday. These findings help specify targets and organizational and individual dimensions to be addressed by managerial interventions to ensure employees' meaningful work experience.
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Kim-Lim Tan, Adriel K.S. Sim, Steffi Sze-Nee Yap, Sanhakot Vithayaporn and Ani Wahyu Rachmawati
Meaningful work is gaining importance in the core domains of human resources research. However, there is confusion regarding what constitutes meaningful work and its determinants…
Abstract
Purpose
Meaningful work is gaining importance in the core domains of human resources research. However, there is confusion regarding what constitutes meaningful work and its determinants and outcomes. Earlier studies have conflated conceptual and empirical arguments. Hence, researchers lack clear insights into factors related to employees' experiences of meaningfulness. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The authorsconducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of 88 studies (2000–2020) meeting relevant criteria to identify dominant trends and significant gaps in the authors’ understanding of meaningful work.
Findings
This review identified six aspects to conceptualize meaningful work. At the same time, the authors highlighted the dominant theory and the instrument used to explain and measure meaningful work. Based on the same, the authors identified different groups of individual and organizational-level determinants and outcomes of finding meaning in work. The analysis also indicates that the comprehension of meaningful work was restricted because most data were obtained from the USA, Europe and certain regions of Asia. During this assessment, the authors observed that several studies emphasized individual-level effects, self-reporting and cross-sectional studies, which restricted the ability to make causal inferences.
Originality/value
This study extends earlier works where the authors stock-take existing research for the past 20 years and build on past trajectories to enrich the authors’ understanding of meaningful work. Unlike earlier works that focused on a specific domain, such as human resource development, this work differentiates by taking an integrated framework-based approach leveraging the antecedents, decisions and outcomes (ADO) and the theories, contexts and method (TCM) framework to consolidate and advance knowledge in the field thoroughly.
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Janine Burghardt and Klaus Möller
This study examines the relationship between the use of management controls and the perception of meaningful work. Meaningful work is an important driver of individual performance…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the relationship between the use of management controls and the perception of meaningful work. Meaningful work is an important driver of individual performance of managers, and employees and can be enabled by sufficient use of management controls. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on bibliometric analyses and a structured literature review of academic research studies from the organizational, management and accounting literature, the authors develop a conceptual model of the relationship between the use of management controls and the perception of meaningful work.
Findings
First, the authors propose that the use of formal management controls in a system (i.e. the levers of the control framework) is more powerful than using unrelated formal controls only. Second, they suggest that the interaction of a formal control system together with informal controls working as a control package can even stretch the perception of meaningful work. Third, they argue that the intensity of the control use matters to enhance the perception of meaningful work (inverted u-shaped relationship).
Originality/value
This study presents the first conceptual model of the relationship between the use of management controls and the perception of meaningful work. It provides valuable implications for practice and future research in the field of performance management.
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Zonghua Liu, Yulang Guo, Junyun Liao, Yanping Li and Xu Wang
Despite past studies revealed the positive effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumer advocacy behavior, little research has paid attention to employee advocacy…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite past studies revealed the positive effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumer advocacy behavior, little research has paid attention to employee advocacy behavior. This research aims to examine the relationship between CSR and employee advocacy behavior, the mediating role of meaningful work as well as the moderating effect of person–supervisor fit on CSR perception – meaningful work relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used 263 employee samples to examine the relationship between CSR and employee advocacy behavior and its influence mechanism. Hierarchical regression analyses and bootstrap approach were applied to analyze the data.
Findings
The results show that CSR perception is positively related to employee advocacy behavior, meaningful work mediates the link between CSR perception and employee advocacy behavior, and the strength of the relationship between CSR perception and meaningful work depends on person–supervisor fit.
Research limitations
This study only investigated the effect of perceived CSR on employee advocacy behavior, future studies should explore the alternative mediation mechanism through which external/internal CSR perception or different CSR dimensions influence employee advocacy behavior.
Practical implications
This study has practical implications for organizational managers. First, firms should undertake CSR practices and make employee interpret them in a right way. Second, meaningful work is of significance for employees and training and development, challenging jobs and job rotation are conducive to create a sense of meaning in employees’ work.
Originality/value
This study discussed how and when CSR influences employee advocacy in the Chinese context.
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The aim of this research is to examine the relationships among family-friendly organizational culture, job characteristics, supervisor support, meaningful work, and organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to examine the relationships among family-friendly organizational culture, job characteristics, supervisor support, meaningful work, and organizational commitment for female managers. It also investigates generational differences in these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Data for the study were analyzed using multi-group structural equation modeling to examine the moderating role of generational differences.
Findings
This study investigates the role of meaningful work as an agent in terms of how it influences organizational commitment for female managers. Empirical results confirm the effect of family-friendly culture on supervisor support and meaningful work, which in turn impacts organizational commitment. The findings also revealed generational differences among Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials in these relationships.
Originality/value
The findings highlight the significance of investigating meaningful work on organizational commitment by examining the relationships with organizational culture, supervisor support, and job characteristics across different generational groups.
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Kim-Lim Tan, Tek-Yew Lew and Adriel K.S. Sim
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of meaningful work against dimensions of job burnout, with psychological capital (PsyCap) as the mediator.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of meaningful work against dimensions of job burnout, with psychological capital (PsyCap) as the mediator.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 223 social workers were analyzed using the partial least squares–structural equation modeling.
Findings
As expected, meaningful work displayed a positive, direct and significant relationship with PsyCap. Contrary to expectations, meaningful work did not establish a negative direct relationship with all, but one dimension of job burnout. However, the results showed that it had indirect relationships with all job burnout dimensions through PsyCap where it displayed a mediating influence over the relationship.
Practical implications
Given the malleable attributes of PsyCap and the results showing meaningful work being a strong predictor of PsyCap, this study suggests that organizations should focus on imbuing greater meaningfulness in work to improve social workers’ PsyCap, which is essential in reducing their propensity for experiencing job burnout.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to explore in detail the effects of meaningful work on the dimensions of job burnout, with PsyCap being the mediator. This study has advanced the body of knowledge on meaningful work by contesting the claim that meaningful work was an effective predictor in reducing job burnout. In addition, this study has extended the understanding of the upward-spiral concept and the resource caravan concept.
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Mohammed Yasin Ghadi, Mario Fernando and Peter Caputi
Providing employees with meaning in their work has inspired numerous researchers to study the role of personal meaningful work and its related outcomes. Despite this high level of…
Abstract
Purpose
Providing employees with meaning in their work has inspired numerous researchers to study the role of personal meaningful work and its related outcomes. Despite this high level of interest, the theoretical views and methodological approaches used to explore this concept still require refinement and development. Without a comprehensive review of these views and approaches, the concept of meaningful work will remain an ill defined notion. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap with a review of the theoretical and empirical research on meaningful work.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper includes a discussion on the concepts of “meaning” and “work”, and its importance and the sources for conceptual confusion, and a synthesis of the common features that form the idea of meaningful work in numerous empirical and theoretical studies.
Findings
The paper found meaningful work is derived when the employee has a perfect understanding of the nature and expectations of the task environment (i.e. the work has a clear goal, purpose and value that is connected to the employee), the employee feels a sense of fit or congruence between their own core values and the job requirements and organizational mission and goals, and when perfect understanding exists of how employees’ roles contribute to the purpose of the organization.
Practical implications
As part of an effective HRM strategy, organizations should actively encourage and develop managers’ abilities to redesign jobs and the climate to build enhanced feelings of meaning in work. Furthermore, organizations can promote greater experiences of meaningful work among employees by implementing the “job crafting” concept. Also, the role of top management is to focus on job elements that would possibly change personal needs of employees and hence perceive their jobs to be more meaningful.
Originality/value
Given the limited amount of recent literature focused on defining meaningful work, this paper provides valuable resources to help organizations succeed in their understanding of how to engage in creating meaningful work environment. It also examines the underlying features that constitute the meaningful work concept and offers guidance for future research by presenting the current state of knowledge about meaningful work.
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This study aims to examine the moderating role of perceived supervisor support at the team level on the relationships between meaningful work, job embeddedness, and turnover…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the moderating role of perceived supervisor support at the team level on the relationships between meaningful work, job embeddedness, and turnover intention at the individual level.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study was performed in 52 work-units from private general hospitals in Thailand. A total of 719 nurses completed a self-reported questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested through a multilevel approach.
Findings
The results indicate that job embeddedness mediates the relationship between meaningful work and intention to quit, and that perceived supervisor support at the team level reduces turnover intention by reinforcing the impact of meaningful work on job embeddedness.
Research limitations/implications
Despite a possible absence of common method variance, social desirability bias may exist due to a single-source survey data. The generalizability of the findings may be limited due to the nature of the sample, which involved only one industry.
Practical implications
Coaching supervisors on management and communication styles and providing team members with a say in concerns and expectations potentially improve how supervisors can be more supportive toward their respective team members.
Originality/value
The novelty of this study lies in its inclusion of meaningful work and a supportive constituent from team supervisors in the mediational pathway of job embeddedness-turnover model by considering a cross-level perspective.
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Jayesh Pandey, Manish Kumar and Shailendra Singh
The organizational environment can influence how employees experience meaningfulness. This study examines the mediating role of meaningful work between organizational ethical…
Abstract
Purpose
The organizational environment can influence how employees experience meaningfulness. This study examines the mediating role of meaningful work between organizational ethical climates and the affective well-being of employees. We also test for the moderating role of self-regulatory traits in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized model using responses from 430 working professionals. Recommended robustness checks were conducted before model assessment and hypotheses testing.
Findings
The findings suggest that a caring ethical climate is positively related to affective well-being. Meaningful work dimensions, i.e. unity with others, inspiration and balancing tensions partially mediate the relationship between the caring climate and affective well-being. Integrity with self and balancing tensions fully mediate the negative effect of an instrumental climate on affective well-being. Positive mediation of unity with others and negative mediation of reality were observed between a law and code climate and affective well-being. Moderating effects of self- and other-orientation and self-monitoring were also observed.
Research limitations/implications
The study presents significant insights, however, a few limitations must be discussed. The study has relied on cross-sectional data which may be addressed in future studies.
Practical implications
In times when organizations are spending in large amounts in ensuring meaningful work and employee well-being, this study suggests internal mechanisms that can bring positive impact in employees' work life. Leaders should assess how employees perceive the ethical climate of the organization in order to provide better meaningful work opportunities to the workforce.
Social implications
Having meaningful work and experiencing affective well-being are significant for a collective betterment of society. Meaningful work encourages individuals in identifying how their work if affecting the society. A affectively happy workforce is essential in building a mentally healthy society.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the investigation of organizational factors that help employees find meaning in their work. Based on ethical climate theory, this study highlights how organizations can redesign and modify their ethical climates to provide opportunities for employees to experience meaningful work and improve their affective well-being.
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Won-Moo Hur, Taewon Moon, Jie Young Won and Seung-Yoon Rhee
This study examines the role of meaningful work in mediating the relationship between employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and innovative behavior. This…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the role of meaningful work in mediating the relationship between employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and innovative behavior. This study further examines how co-worker support, both instrumental and emotional, moderates the meaningful work–innovative behavior relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing survey data from 355 employees in South Korea with a two-wave longitudinal design, path modeling with the M-plus PROCESS macro was performed to analyze the mediation and second-stage moderated mediation effects.
Findings
The results showed that the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and innovative behavior was mediated by meaningful work. Co-worker instrumental support strengthened the meaningful work–innovative behavior relationship, whereas co-worker emotional support had no significant moderating effect. The three-way interaction analysis indicated that the meaningful work–innovative behavior relationship was weakest when co-worker instrumental support was low. Additionally, instrumental support by co-workers moderated the indirect effect of CSR perceptions on innovative behavior via meaningful work.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the literature on CSR perceptions and meaningful work. Our focus on meaningful work as a key psychological mechanism provides insights into how and why employee CSR perceptions promote desirable outcomes including innovative behavior, an underexplored yet important outcome. Furthermore, by identifying co-worker instrumental support as a significant boundary condition, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the social context that promotes innovative behavior.
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