Resumo

There is an increasingly interest by organizations on how the most powerful experiences of meaningfulness at work can arise on individuals, and sources or mechanisms for meaning of work to be surgically managed. This study provides a new view on the subject as it has identified meaningful work sold as a product of consumption and the consequences for individuals who bought it.

How meaning of work is being experienced as the end product? Main objective: to demonstrate how meaning of work is being experienced as the end product by individuals and its consequences Specific Objectives : Identify new sources and mechanisms for individuals to experience work as meaningful, and how, in fact, it is experienced by employees. Exploit new sources of meaning of work in an emerging socioeconomic context and unfavored social level in Brazil, its consequences and impact in their work and lives. Analyze the subjective and objective rewarding cycles happening with individuals .

Sources and Mechanisms of Meaning Most researched topic in literature, here split into sources and mechanisms which are subjective or abstract – such as recognition - and sources and mechanisms which are objective, such as job role, which have built the ground for the empirical research. Even though the context of meaning of work sparks broadly more positive reactions (Lips-Wiersma, 2009; Weeks and Schaffert, 2019), the fact that it can be used as tool for controlling mindset change and people’s behavior besides influencing so deeply the way work is performed and experienced by individuals.

It was chosen to initiate fieldwork without any a priori theoretical lens in order to allow the research concerns and questions to emerge from the field. This exploratory study uses a qualitative method and was initiated using techniques of grounded theory and that allowed the emerging empirical insights to guide the researcher and to finetune the data collection instruments, as well as to inform the choices regarding theoretical lens used and therefore the ensuing findings and contributions.

Empirical evidences show meaningfulness as product providing extremely positive consequences as tools for covering social voids and generate social transformation observed through empowerment, social belonging, confidence to be an entrepreneur, trainings, interest for literacy / reading, oratory, or behavioral changes. Evidences show a work of exploration within individuals in a challenging situation of vulnerability, making institutional the manipulative, exploratory behavior on employees themselves, as a mandatory condition. A processual model was created for product of meaning.

Meaningfulness as a product sold to individuals by companies versus meaningfulness as a process which is expected to arise on individuals. Employers take advantage of employees believing their work is meaningful, and from that, train employees to manipulate further and build a chain of exploration = Selling meaning has become practice. The consequences for individuals as positive subjective reward cycles observed through a positive social impact – not necessarily by monetary rewards - or create an unperceived negative behavioral cycle which normalizes an exploratory work.

Bailey et al., (2016) (2018) (2019) Lips-Wiersma, M. and Morris, L. (2009) May, D. R., Zhu, W. L., Avolio, B. (2004) Michaelson, C. (2011) Michaelson, C., Pratt, M. G., Grant, A. M. and Dunn, C. P. (2014) Pratt,M.G., & Ashforth, B.E. (2003) Pratt, M. (2000) Rosso, B. D., Dekas, K. H., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2010) Strauss A., Corbin, J.M. (1997) Weeks, K. & Schaffert, C. (2019) Yeoman, R. (2014) Biggart, NW. (1989) Willmott, H. (1993)