Discriminating between Meaningful Work and the Management of Meaning

This article shows the qualitative research foundations of the Map of Meaning through action research.

The interest in meaningful work has significantly increased over the last two decades. Much of the associated managerial research has focused on researching ways to ‘provide and manage meaning’ through leadership or organizational culture.
This stands in sharp contrast with the literature of the humanities which suggests that meaningfulness does not need to be provided, as the distinct feature of a human being is that he or she has an intrinsic ‘will to meaning’. This article aims to address these gaps through an action research project that actively involved participants in the process of affirming and uncovering the meaningfulness of their work.