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New Research in MIT Sloan Management Review: Workers Find Their Own Way to Meaningful Work; Employers Can Only Stay out of Their Way

Research Shows That Quality of Leadership Receives Virtually No Mention When People Describe Meaningful Moments at Work, but Poor Management Is the Top Destroyer of Meaningfulness

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwired - June 02, 2016) - Research findings from an article published yesterday in MIT Sloan Management Review indicate that, rather than being similar to other work-related attitudes, such as engagement or commitment, meaningfulness at work tends to be intensely personal and individual, and is often revealed to employees as they reflect on their work. Thus what managers can do to encourage meaningfulness is limited, though what they can do to introduce meaninglessness is unfortunately of far greater capacity.

The article, titled: "What Makes Work Meaningful -- Or Meaningless," was written by Catherine Bailey, a professor in the department of business and management at the University of Sussex in Brighton, U.K., and Adrian Madden, a senior lecturer in the department of human resources and organizational behavior at the business school of the University of Greenwich in London. The researchers interviewed 135 people working in 10 very different occupations, from priests to garbage collectors, to ask about incidents or times when the workers found their work to be meaningful and, conversely, times when they asked themselves, "What's the point of doing this job?"

"In experiencing work as meaningful, we cease to be workers or employees and relate as human beings, reaching out in a bond of common humanity to others," the authors write. "For organizations seeking to manage meaningfulness, the ethical and moral responsibility is great, since they are bridging the gap between work and personal life."

The authors identified five qualities of meaningful work:

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  1. Self-Transcendent. Individuals tend to experience their work as meaningful when it matters to others more than just to themselves. In this way, meaningful work is self-transcendent.

  1. Poignant. People often find their work to be full of meaning at moments associated with mixed, uncomfortable, or even painful thoughts and feelings, not just a sense of unalloyed joy and happiness

  1. Episodic. A sense of meaningfulness arises in an episodic rather than a sustained way. It seems that no one can find their work consistently meaningful, but rather that an awareness that work is meaningful arises at peak times that are generative of strong experiences.

  1. Reflective. Meaningfulness is rarely experienced in the moment, but rather in retrospect and on reflection when people are able to see their completed work and make connections between their achievements and a wider sense of life meaning.

  1. Personal. Work that is meaningful is often understood by people not just in the context of their work but also in the wider context of their personal life experiences.

The researchers also identified the "seven deadly sins" of meaninglessness, including disconnecting people from their values, overriding peoples' better judgment and disconnecting people from supporting relationships.

While the challenges of helping employees find meaningful work are great, "The benefits for individuals and organizations that accrue from meaningful workplaces can be even greater," the authors write. "Organizations that succeed in this are more likely to attract, retain, and motivate the employees they need to build sustainably for the future, and to create the kind of workplaces where human beings can thrive."

About MIT Sloan Management Review

MIT Sloan Management Review leads the discourse among academic researchers, business executives and other influential thought leaders about advances in management practice, particularly those shaped by technology, that are transforming how people lead and innovate. MIT SMR disseminates new management research and innovative ideas so that thoughtful executives can capitalize on the opportunities generated by rapid organizational, technological and societal change.