Hear what our readers say
The Map of Meaningful Work (Greenleaf Publishing) represents the combined work of two experienced practitioners in leadership. It contains tools (notably the Map of Meaning) that can be used at an individual, group or organisation level. Using the Map in particular allows people to take the time to identify aspects of their work that are meaningful to them. This leads to increased motivation and satisfaction as individuals can craft their work to focus on meaning.
As a manager of a team, I found the book quickly delivered information and questions I could use in the team immediately, as well as giving options for lengthier training sessions. There are suggestions to help individuals and teams effectively use the strategies – you can see the results of decades of delivering workshops in different countries and cultures in these suggestions. The framework can also be used at an organisation level when setting strategic direction.
Case studies throughout the book give practical examples – I was very taken with an example provided of working constructively to improve processes in the organisation through identifying the mismatch between what inspired them in their work, compared with the reality.
For people who have “lost the spark” or organisations keen to centre meaning in their mission, The Map of Meaningful Work will provide guidance and direction.
Emma Rutherford
Senior ManagerAn oasis in management literature.
D.Tim Hall
Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Boston UniversityWhen we are lost we become desperate for guidance. Today we are all lost. In this thoughtful volume, the authors give us a precious gift, a map to meaning It is a gift to be cherished.
Robert E. Quinn
Author of Building the Bridge as You Walk on it and Deep Change, Professor of Positive Psychology, Michigan University.I loved your book and am so glad to have been exposed to your model and all the ways it can be generative – what a gift! Lips-Wiersma and Morris bring the meaning we make of life to a whole new level of understanding in their book, The Map of Meaningful Work. They offer their model as an analytical and practical tool for engaging different pathways of meaning making in our work and in our lives more generally. The book is overflowing with useful advice and examples of how to engage the model as a means for fostering individual and collective growth, learning and re-becoming whole.
Jane E. Dutton
Robert L. Kahn University Professor of Business Administration and Psychology, University of MichiganBy providing a well tested, comprehensive framework and language, this book helps managers to engage in a genuine dialogue on how daily tasks can be a natural expression of what truly matters, beyond profits and growth. Grounded and deep, the authors show us how to integrate inspiration and purpose into the reality of business.
Leanne Schuijt
leadership trainer and author of several books on management and inspirationI know from my experience of working with the Map of Meaning, that of all the tools, interventions and frameworks I've used, this is one that consistently adds value to whatever I'm doing. It always works. It always has an impact and engages everybody. It has rigour, there is a strength to the framework, and sufficient space within that for people to construct their own meaning.
Stephen Tarpey
Human Dimensions, UKThis is an important book, as it helps one orientate their career and work-life balance in line with their values and beliefs. It is a rigorous book, thoroughly researched and evidence based, tried out and tested in various organizational sectors, in different countries and with a range of professions. It is also a 'dangerous' book, as it confronts the reader with their inner most sense of being and challenges them to an intimate conversation with their self. The human resource professional who wishes to work with human beings rather than with human resources, will find in this book a useful and easily accessible tool, with numerous illustrations, to help people on their career journeys inside and outside work. Highly recommended.
Yochanan Altman
Senior Professor, Bordeaux School of Management; Research Professor, London Metropolitan University; Visiting Professor, Sorbonne Universities (Pantheon-Assas); Founding Editor, Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion; European Editor, People & StrategyThe search for meaning is as old as humankind. The Map of Meaning proposed in this sober volume is about learning to successfully engage the external world and its challenges from the inside. This is a contemplative yet practical work that is as incisive as it is revelatory. It combines our search for deep purpose with the need to align goals, aspirations and values within the environment we live in. It will be received as a welcome addition to the rich and growing literature on self development irrespective of cultural boundaries. It is warmly recommended.
Ramnath Narayanswamy
Professor in Economics and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.I had the good fortune of using the Map of Meaning early in its development, both for my own growth and then in one of my classes. In my MBA class on Organizational Behaviour I use the model and describe it to the students as a sort of "personal balanced scorecard." The students immediately see its relevance to integrating their personal and professional lives. I am delighted to have this beautifully written book available, and if you are interested in your own growth as a whole person and/or if you assist others in that quest, you need to use this book. It is extremely provocative and practical – as well as poetic.