Exploring meaningfulness of work – A qualitative study on the experiences of Finnish university students and recent graduates

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

School of Business | Master's thesis

Authors

Date

2024

Department

Johtamisen laitos

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

mib

Language

en

Pages

91

Series

Abstract

It is a fundamental aspect of human nature to pursue meaning and purpose in ones life. The interest towards studying meaningfulness of work has increased, and finding meaning in ones work is already shown by studies to have vast positive short-term and long-term effects and is linked to themes like intrinsic work motivation, affective well-being and decreased turnover rates. It seems likely that meaningfulness of work will be at the forefront of studies as we try to understand the psychology of the workplace. The theoretical background on meaningful work suffers from some ambiguity, due to a lack of clear agreement on its definitions, its building blocks, and ways of measuring it. However, academics seem to more or less agree upon some of the core dimensions and features of meaningful work. The aim of this study was to contribute to the existing body of research on meaningfulness of work, especially in the context of Finnish participants of university students and recent graduates. This study is qualitative in nature explores the experiences of its participants through semi-structured interviews and deductive coding and thematic analysis of the results. The study aims to answer the following question: How do Finnish university students and recent graduates perceive and experience meaningfulness in their work? The findings of this study support the existence of the currently commonly agreed upon four different dimensions of meaningful work: autonomy, competence, relatedness, and contribution. The study found participants to describe similar factors and barriers that were connected to their experiences of meaningful work. These findings were further categorized into five overarching themes aimed at describing the different qualities of meaningful work recognized by participants: positive feelings, individuality, purpose & influence, external & social factors, and values. These findings can offer tools for managers to further understand the ways in which employees feel meaningfulness in their work, and the ways in which they can help foster environments and practices that promote experiences of meaningfulness of work.

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Thesis advisor

Katila, Saija

Keywords

työn merkitys, työn merkityksellisyys, työn kokemukset, merkityksellisyys

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Citation

Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202408185530

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[gradu] Kauppakorkeakoulu / BIZ