The Ten Principles of Highly Meaningful Work: A Qualitative Study of Leading Organizations
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meaningfulness
purpose
organizational culture
qualitative research
employee engagement
positive psychology
positive organizational scholarship
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Human Resources Management
Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Organizational Behavior and Theory
Organization Development
Social Psychology
Strategic Management Policy
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Abstract
In addition to being the primary source of income for most adults, work is also one of the main forums in which individuals pursue achievement and meaning in life. Despite increasing appreciation for meaningful work and the desire to cultivate it, a widely accepted framework for fostering meaningful work in organizations has yet to emerge. In an attempt to lay the foundation for such an effort, we conducted a qualitative study with representatives of exemplar companies to explore common practices that organizations follow to foster meaningful work for their employees. The ten principles that emerged from this study are presented and directions for future research are proposed. Finally, drawing from both theory and practice, we introduce a principle-informed methodology that can guide organizations to enable meaningful work.