1618: Research on Meaningful Work: Planting the Seeds for the Future (13102)

Organizer(s)

• JM

  Justine Murray

  Harvard Business School

Discussant(s)

• JT

  Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

  Babson College, United States
• EL

  Evgenia Lysova

  Vrije U. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Presenter(s)

• YC

  Yuna Cho

  HKU Business School, The U. of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• SD

  Solomiya Draga

  U. of Toronto, Canada
• GF

  Greg Fetzer

  U. of Liverpool, United Kingdom
• LH

  Luke Hedden

  U. of Miami, United States
• KK

  Kai Krautter

  Harvard Business School
• YL

  Yuxin Lin

  U. of Arizona, United States
• JN

  Jordan Nielsen

  Purdue U., United States
• SQ

  Shawn Quan

  U. of Washington, United States
• JM

  Justine Murray

  Harvard Business School
• BR

  Benjamin Rogers

  Boston College, United States
• SW

  Sarah Ward

  U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
• MW

  Molly Weinstein

  Northwestern U., United States
• HW

  Hannah Weisman

  Harvard Business School, United States

Organizer(s)

• JJ

  Jon Jachimowicz

  Harvard Business School, United States

Discussant(s)

• JJ

  Jon Jachimowicz

  Harvard Business School, United States

Organizer(s)

• KS

  Kira Schabram

  U. of Washington, United States

Discussant(s)

• KS

  Kira Schabram

  U. of Washington, United States
• CM

  Christopher Myers

  Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, United States
• SS

  Scott Sonenshein

  Rice U., United States
• SD

  Shoshana Dobrow

  London School of Economics, United Kingdom

The last two decades have seen a significant uptick in research on meaningful work, defined as work that is purposeful and significant. Prior work has established the link between experienced meaningfulness and positive organizational and employee outcomes, revealed how workers can make their jobs more meaningful, and illuminated numerous downsides of experiencing one’s work as meaningful. Recent reviews highlight that meaningful work has become a central topic in the organizational literature. At the same time, these reviews also highlight several limitations that currently hold the field back, including a predominant focus on calling orientations, an assumption that work orientations are static, a lack of standardized definitions and measures, and limited generalizability. Having now firmly established its place in the organizational literature, we believe it is time to “take stock” of where we are and, with a thought to addressing these limitations in mind, set the foundation for the next generation of meaningful work research. This symposium aims to take a step toward addressing this gap. It features the work of 13 early career researchers whose work begins to build on and move beyond these limitations. Guided by experienced scholars who will act as discussants, we hope this forum will encourage dialogue that will guide and enhance the next generation of meaningful work research. By showcasing diverse methods and topics, we also aim to attract scholars beyond the meaningful work community, fostering new perspectives and integrating them into the field.

Presentations:

• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Work Meaningfulness During a Merger (13102)
  

  Author: Yuna Cho – HKU Business School, The U. of Hong Kong

  Author: Winnie Jiang – INSEAD

  Author: Lucas Dufour – Toronto Metropolitan U.
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: How, why, and with what consequence passionate nurses cope with promotion out of meaningful roles (13102)
  

  Author: Solomiya Draga – U. of Toronto
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: A change is gonna come: How life events shape changes in work orientation (13102)
  

  Author: Greg Fetzer – U. of Liverpool

  Author: Elise B. Jones – US Coast Guard Academy
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Finding and Feeling Meaningfulness in an Invisible Occupation (13102)
  

  Author: Luke Hedden – U. of Miami
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: There’s Always More You Can Do: The Perils of Being Too Passionate for Work (13102)
  

  Author: Kai Krautter – Harvard Business School

  Author: Wen Wu – Beijing Jiaotong U.
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Collective mental time travel as a way to unite dispersed stakeholders addressing grand challenges (13102)
  

  Author: Yuxin Lin – U. of Arizona
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Self-Imposed Constraints in Meaningful Work: The Role of Constraints and the Agency to Craft Them (13102)
  

  Author: Justine Murray – Harvard Business School

  Author: Kira Franziska Schabram – U. of Washington

  Author: Jon Michael Jachimowicz – Harvard Business School
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Thwarted Prosocial Impact in Organizations: Consequences, Mechanisms, and Boundary Conditions (13102)
  

  Author: Jordan Nielsen – Purdue U.

  Author: Daniel Goering – Missouri State U.
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Let My People Go Hunting and Gathering: The Meaning of Work in Rural Alaska (13102)
  

  Author: Shawn Xiaoshi Quan – U. of Washington

  Author: Kira Franziska Schabram – U. of Washington
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: How Role Archetypal Narratives Shape the Experience of Meaningfulness Amidst Distress (13102)
  

  Author: Benjamin Alan Rogers – Boston College
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: A Tripartite Approach to Meaningful Work: Examining Purpose, Significance, and Coherence (13102)
  

  Author: Sarah Ward – U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  Author: Vlad Costin – U. of Sussex
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Meaningful Work Ideology Theory (MWIT) (13102)
  

  Author: Molly L. Weinstein – Northwestern U.

  Author: Eli Finkel – Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern U.
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1618: Pursue Your Higher (And) Lower Calling? A Construal Approach to Calling Orientation Maintenance (13102)
  

  Author: Hannah Weisman – Harvard Business School

  Author: Haoyue Zhang – Nanyang Business School, NTU Singapore

  Author: Stuart Bunderson – Wash U.