Greetings! It's been awhile since I've posted anything to the blog, but I am excited to share that I have created a Meaning of Work tool. I was motivated to create this tool based on my findings from my dissertation. It is informed by both research and theory in it's development.
My hopes are that the tool can be used to help individuals and organizations understand the meaning of work. You may wonder, why is this important? For individuals, the nature of work and our relationship with organizations has changed over the decades. We are in complete control of our career development and creating our paths to reach our ultimate goals- whether it's to find meaningful work, to pay our bills, or a combination of both. This tool can help individuals reflect on and create an action plan for their current and future career development. I believe that the more control we take over our career development, the more empowered we feel as overall individuals.
For organizations, we often implement one-size-fits all programs, systems, and structures. Why? Perhaps, its easier- but does it work? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to understand our employees on a much deeper, intrinsic level? That way we can understand why they work, and what work means to them. We can use that information to inform the types of programs we implement, and how we can increase and measure performance. For example, flexibility might mean different things to different employees- what works for one, might not work for another which is unfair and creates tension. Therefore, let's give employees a voice and help create ownership over company initiatives.
For more information on the Meaning of Work tool, please feel free to contact me with any questions.