6 - Designing, Organising and Managing Meaningful Waged Work

Summary

Until the early twentieth century there has been little basis for thinking about meaningful work in Management Research beyond the perfect match between the supply and demand of labour and technical methods to get as much work as possible out of this breathing factor of production. Then, however, the interplay of political, economic and cultural dynamics forces management theory to reconsider. This is the point in time in which this chapter sets off and illustrates who spread the seeds of meaningful work ideas on the contested soil of economic rationality ideas and with what result. The chapter captures the development that has led to complementary, but also competing thoughts of meaningful work in the domain of classical and contemporary Management and Organisational Behaviour literature. We claim that management interest in meaningful wage labour for employees is based on the idea that such work leads to the kind of work orientations that enhances efficiency and productivity. From this perspective, meaningful work is not a gift from the employer, but the latter’s strategic choice.