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May Meaning MeetingMarch 30, 2007

March

Death, Disease, Despair, and Destruction:

Why Even Try?

Death, Disease, Despair, and Destruction:

Why Even Try?

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May Meaning MeetingMarch 30, 2007

March

Meaning in Connection:A Relational Perspective on the Meaning of Work

Meaning in Connection:A Relational Perspective on the Meaning of Work

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RoadmapRoadmap

• Overview of our journey & process

• Dominant perspectives on the meaning of work

• From a different view: A relational perspective

• Questions & discussion (throughout!)

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Our JourneyOur Journey

Impetus: Shared interest in broad review of MOW literature

Goals:• Review existing literature

• What are the dominant perspectives and assumptions?• What might history tell us about where MOW research is going?

• Generate fresh perspectives and opportunities• Speak to a broader OB audience

• How does meaning shape organizational behavior?

Process: Inductive, organic approach• Organized literature by era and theme • Summarized each piece using consistent framework • Held weekly phone calls; took detailed meeting notes• Held monthly thematic integration meetings

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Goals For TodayGoals For Today

• Share our developing ideas

• Gather your feedback:• Where do links need to be clearer?• What have we missed?• Other relevant literature we might include

• Bottom line: Are we barking up the right tree? Can you see the tree?

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Where Are We Now?Where Are We Now?

We argue that the study of the meaning of work has primarily located meaning within the individual, paying less attention to the connections between the individual and other important entities.

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How Did We Get Here?How Did We Get Here?

• The world of work has changed over time• Less reliance on community to share and produce resources• More time spent at work (Schor, 1992)• Organizational ties and jobs are less stable and secure

(de Janasz, Sullivan, & Whiting, 2003)• Functions of work are more individualized and disconnected from

society/craft (Sennett, 1998)

• The targets of the meaning of work have narrowed accordingly• Modern scholars focus heavily on

self-connectedness and self-fulfillment as key sources of meaning in work.

• e.g., Calling = link to God vs. Calling = link to “true” self

• Now: Americanized, person-centeredunderstanding of MOW.

God

Self

Society

Work (General)

Organization

Job

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A focus on the individual as locus of meaning yields certain definitions, assumptions, and research questions.

• Meaning of Work: Work’s perceived function in life, beliefs about valued outcomes attained from working, actual outcomes received from working, expected contribution of work toward satisfying an individual’s needs (Brief & Nord, 1990)

• Assumptions: • Self draws meaning from various entities

• Self is the ‘project’ of focus (e.g., self-actualization, authenticity)

• Job, work, organization, etc. are vehicles through which to find and express self

Focus on IndividualFocus on Individual

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• Sample Research Questions:• How does context influence self’s assessment of the

meaning of work?

• Which organizational factors contribute to self-fulfillment?

• How does an individual’s sense of purpose shape her work behavior?

Focus on Individual (Cont’d)Focus on Individual (Cont’d)

Meaning? Community

Coworkers

Higher Power

Work

Organization

Job

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A Different Perspective: The Relational ApproachA Different Perspective: The Relational Approach

We propose that when the focus is moved from the individual to the connection between the individual and valued entities (e.g., other people, communities, work, a higher power, etc.), new insights emerge about how individuals make meaning of their work.

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Why a Relational Approach?Why a Relational Approach?• While MOW research has focused on connections, scholars primarily

focus on the connection between the work and the self (e.g., person-job interaction).

• A self-oriented understanding overlooks other important ways individuals make meaning of and through their work (see also Cardador, 2007).

• Work life is full of potentially meaningful connections to a variety of sources (e.g., work, job, organization, other people, higher power, self, etc.).

• A relational perspective sheds light on the many meaningful connections we make in, at, and through work, and on the differing ways they shape the experience of work.

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A focus on connections yields different definitions, assumptions, and research questions.

• Meaning: The essence of meaning is connection, or what links two separate entities in their relation to each other; may or may not be widely shared by individuals (Baumeister, 1991; Baumeister & Vohs, 2002)

• Assumptions: • Meaning is drawn from the connections among significant entities

• Self is arbiter of connections between elements

• Meaning can be focused internally, toward the self, or externally, toward other elements

Focus on ConnectionsFocus on Connections

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• Sample Research Questions

• How, and to what degree do different types of meaningful connections shape the way individuals make meaning of their work?

• How do different connections interact/compete?

• Does a strong sense of meaning in life contribute to or detract from the meaning of work?

• Are certain types of connections more meaningful for certain individuals or at different times in life?

Focus on ConnectionsFocus on Connections

Community

Coworkers

Job

Higher Power

Organization

Work

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Prominent ConnectionsProminent ConnectionsOther People

•Individuals

•Communities

Org

aniz

atio

ns

Work

• Callin

gs

• Work Orie

ntation

Oth

er Life D

om

ains

A Higher Power

Self

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Prominent ConnectionsProminent Connections

•Communities• W

ork Orie

ntation

A Higher Power

Self

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• Examples: • Šverko & Vizek-Vidović, 1995; Wrzesniewski et al.,

1997; Wrzesniewski, 2003; Dobrow, 2004, 2007; Cardador, Dane, & Pratt, 2007; Elangovan & Pinder, 2007.

• Key contributions:• One’s relationship to the work matters as much as the

kind of work (Wrzesniewski, 1999)• Heavy focus on callings in literature, but all work

(including job- and career-oriented) has meaning; must look at the specific source of the connection to understand how the person finds meaning through work (e.g., Wrzesniewski et al., 1997; Dobrow, 2004, 2007; Cardador, Dane, & Pratt, 2007; Elangovan & Pinder, 2007)

• Mechanisms: Values, framing, entry route

Person-Work Connections: Work Orientation

Person-Work Connections: Work Orientation

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Work Orientation: Focus on IndividualWork Orientation: Focus on Individual

• Assumptions: • Individuals act upon job and organizational contexts to

realize orientations (e.g., job crafting). • Work orientation is fundamentally about individuals’

framing and experience of work.

• Types of questions generated by this approach:• What different orientations do individuals have to the same kinds

of work?• What are the implications of work orientations for the self?• How does context influence self’s assessment of the meaning of

work?

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Work Orientation: Focus on ConnectionWork Orientation: Focus on Connection

• Assumptions: • Broader facets of work and one’s world are sites of

meaning making• Focus can be on meaning of work to self (of different

types) or meaning of work to others (of different types)

• Types of questions generated by this approach• How do other life domains affect relationship between individual

and work?• How is work orientation affected by the connection to the work

group, the organization, the occupation, the wider world?

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• Examples: • Loscocco, 1989; Hardy, 1990; Shamir, 1991; Rawsthorne & Elliot,

1999; Dutton, 2003; Pratt & Ashforth, 2003; Wrzesniewski, Dutton, & Debebe, 2003; Cardador, 2007; Grant et al., 2007; Rosso, 2007; Tosti, 2007; Wade-Benzoni, 2007.

• Key contributions:• People are also motivated for collective concerns (Shamir, 1991).• Meaning derived from contributing to things larger and longer-

term than ourselves (Hardy, 1990; Cardador, 2007; Grant et al., 2007; Sonenshein, 2007).

• Prosocial behavior Community connections Work meaningfulness (Cardador, 2007; Rosso, 2007).

• Work provides meaningful roles in society and our communities.

• Mechanisms: Social connection, collective resource building, kin selection, prosocial identity, legacy

Interpersonal Connections: Communities & Collectives

Interpersonal Connections: Communities & Collectives

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Spiritual ConnectionsSpiritual Connections

• Examples: • Luther, 1520; Calvin, 1574; Weber, 1930; Hardy, 1990; Lips-

Wiersma, 2002; Weiss, 2004; Bunderson & Thompson, 2007.

• Key contributions:• Sense of purpose in work coming from the connectedness to

something greater than oneself (e.g., Luther, 1520; Calvin, 1574; Hardy, 1990; Weiss, 2004; Bunderson & Thompson, 2007)

• Return to pre-industrialization perspectives; evidence that people seek meaningful connections through work to more than just their individual strengths (e.g., Hardy, 1990; Lips-Wiersma, 2002; Weiss, 2004; Bunderson & Thompson, 2007)

• Mechanisms: Transcendence, harmony, stability, security, social connection; prosocial orientation

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• Examples: • Bellah et al., 1985; Shamir, 1991; Levoy, 1997;

Dobrow, 2004; Pratt, Rockmann, & Kaufmann, 2006; Barker-Caza, 2007; Blatt & Ashford, 2007; Vough, 2007.

• Key contributions:• We seek out work and contexts that are aligned with

our self-concept (Shamir, 1991; Seyle & Swann, 2007) • Individuals are prompted to connect to their “authentic

selves,” finding work which taps unique strengths and values (Bellah et al., 1985; Levoy, 1997)

• Mechanisms: Stability, security, self-esteem, self-expression

Self-Connectedness: Authenticity

Self-Connectedness: Authenticity

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Why Take a Relational Approach?Why Take a Relational Approach?

• Adds needed texture and breadth to current understandings of MOW, while preserving individual experience and agency.

• Opens up a more social view of the meaning of work than one rooted in the self.

• Targets growing areas of inquiry (e.g., spirituality, justice, interpersonal relationships, etc.), pushing scholarship toward predicting future meaningful connections rather than explaining the past.

• By examining connections, potential for building a historical trajectory that illuminates trends in meaning-making over time grows.

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ConclusionsConclusions

• Connections matter• Current scholarship focuses primarily on internal

psychological processes and self-oriented pursuits• A relational approach:

• Offers a new framework from which to organize, reinterpret, and broaden existing perspectives

• Reveals under-explored ways that people make meaning of, at, through work

• Places the study of MOW more squarely in center of OB

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Where We Need Your Help: Making the Case

Where We Need Your Help: Making the Case

• Does this framework make sense?

• Where do you see the potential gem in this?

• What do you see as other new frontiers in the field that might be applicable?

• How can we most effectively make the case?

• How can we build theory from this framework?

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Questions and Comments?

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Thank You!

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Why does Meaning Matter to OB?

Why does Meaning Matter to OB?

• Meaning is everywhere in organizational life• Meaning shapes the individual and collective

experience of work (cognition, behavior, and affect)• Types of meaning (e.g., work as calling vs. job)

• Level of meaningfulness of work (e.g., anomie to deep meaning)

• Meaning shapes work behaviors that scholars and organizations care about• Cooperation, commitment, turnover

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What We’re Not Talking About….What We’re Not Talking About….

• Micro-processes of meaning-making

• Impact of meaningful work

• Individual differences in the meaning of work

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To Contrast the Views…To Contrast the Views…

Focus on Individual

What elements of work are meaningful to the individual?

How does an individual’s sense of purpose shape her work behavior?

How does context influence self’s assessment of the meaning of work?

Which organizational factors contribute to self-fulfillment?

Focus on Connections

How, and to what degree do different types of meaningful connections shape the way individuals make meaning of their work?

How do different connections interact/compete?

Does a strong sense of meaningfulness in life contribute to or detract from the experience of meaningful work?

Are certain types of connections more meaningful for certain individuals or at different times in life?

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Key DefinitionsKey Definitions

• Meaning: The essence of what links two separate entities in their relation to each other; may or may not be widely shared by individuals.

• Meaningfulness: The extent to which the individual perceives the work and/or its context as purposeful and significant (Hackman & Oldham, 1976; Pratt & Ashforth, 2003).

• Connection: A significant relationship to another entity (e.g., self, job, org, society, God, etc.), which may vary in strength, stability, and affective tone.

• Relational: Implying kinship, connection, or a living tie between elements.

• Locus/target of meaning: The physical or psychological entity through which meaning is found or produced.