In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew Soren spoke with Michael Pratt, the O'Connor Family Professor at Boston College in the Carroll School of Management. His problem-centered and process-oriented research explores individual connections to work and collectives like organizations and professions.
Pratt has spent 20+ years studying what makes work meaningful, the diversity in how individuals define meaningfulness in their work, and how organizations can foster deeper meaning among their workforce.
Meaningful Work Defined
How do we define meaningful work? To Pratt, meaningful work is purposeful, significant, and worthwhile. He finds that the question, “What makes my work worth doing?” often helps us understand why it is (or is not) meaningful.
Pratt explains that questions of meaningful work emerged with the Industrial Revolution as an antidote to alienation. In factories and on assembly lines, workers were disassociated from the impact and value of their work, and job design and other meaningfulness strategies were introduced to combat this alienation.
Work Orientations
Pratt explains that work orientation is our internalized evaluation of what makes work worth doing. For example, the cultural push set in motion by Steve Jobs in the mid-aughts that we should all ‘love what we do’ is a way of thinking about a work orientation.
In his research, Pratt has found that there are generally six work orientations, and they each focus on either the self, others, or the work itself:
Utilitarian - ‘I work because I have to.’
Passion - ‘I love what I do!’
Status - ‘I want to climb the ladder.’
Service - ‘I work for a cause beyond myself.’
Kinship - ‘I work because of those I work with.’
Craftsmanship - ‘I want to produce the best work.’
Many of us have more than one dominant orientation which can evolve over time. Work orientation can also shift across cultures, and through time depending on where we are in our lives and what is most important to us.
Cultural Influences on Meaningful Work
The first place we learn about meaningful work is probably from our families. From there, religion, social media, TV and movies play a large influence on what we consider meaningful.
Think of the example set by the character Gordon Gecco in the movie Wall Street: ‘Greed is good.’ It’s harder to imagine a corporate leader touting this sentiment today as more and more companies declare that the purpose of business should not just be about satisfying shareholders, but that profit must be paired with a focus on people and the planet as well.
Pratt offers three ways to consider culture’s influence on meaningfulness:
Push: We adopt what we learn in our environment, which is pushed upon us and becomes how we think.
Pull: We seek meaningfulness to feel better and more fulfilled in our careers.
Move: We enter a space looking to change culture to create meaningfulness. (Pratt calls this the ‘cultural entrepreneur’).
Pratt emphasizes that we should all remain open to a broader interpretation of what meaningfulness looks like in other’s work and careers.
In North American we have a tendency to shame those who don’t subscribe to a calling orientation driven by either passion or service. Why should we shame someone who sees work in a more utilitarian way as a vehicle to support what they really care about? The reality is that all work orientations can be valuable. Seeing how different people find meaning in work brings greater viewpoint diversity to our workplaces, which may even help protect employees from burning out or being exploited for their passion.
Do We Consciously Choose a Work Orientation?
Pratt suggests that those of us who are unhappy in our work lives should consider reflecting on our work orientation and how culture influences our choices or perceptions.
You may consider:
What parts of your job do you find more energizing, interesting, or fulfilling?
Can you implement job crafting techniques to help?
Advice for Organizations
Pratt offers a helpful reminder: not everyone views work the same way.
For organizations, he recommends first evaluating what work orientations are currently present amongst your staff. Next, consider how you’re appealing to diverse orientations. For example, are there opportunities for a teammate subscribing to kinship to connect and collaborate with others? Or for a utilitarian teammate to add a few more responsibilities in exchange for a pay bump?
Ideally, the approach should be tailored to your workforce in a way that reflects the diversity of the team.
Final Thoughts
Pratt sees an upward trend towards considering meaningful work more. Questions like: How does work show up in my life? How is my work meaningful? What is making my work less meaningful?
There are many ways to make work meaningful, and they’re all legitimate.
Resources to explore:
Check out the Job Crafting Exercise
Connect with Michael! He’s happy to share more resources directly.