As the authors of The Meaning and Purpose of Work point out, most of us will probably spend more of our lives working than doing anything else, such that work has the potential to be our most meaningful contribution to the world, but also that which causes us the greatest misery. The book is shaped around the idea that work occurs at three levels: individual, organisational and systemic, and throughout, the authors return to the trade-off between the personal rewards of work, whether extrinsic (such as remuneration) or intrinsic (such as a feeling of fulfilment), and its societal worth (as with work that serves others). All of these are significant determinants of meaning and as such, the main focus of the book – emphasised at the very end – is on why we work, this being the question that must inform other, more pragmatic questions about what to do, where or for what duration.

The introduction raises the question of meaning in work, particularly when tragedies or crises provoke periods of reflection. The first chapter then proceeds to explore ‘a multiplicity of ways in which work can give life meaning and purpose – and a multiplicity of ways in which it can take it away’ (page 7). Here, the authors outline concepts such as ‘market fit’ in relation to meaning, whereby ‘meaning and purpose can emerge from the abstract machinations of the marketplace … in the form of finding real alignment between what the market needs and wants and what we are uniquely fit to supply’ (page 8). They also discuss the importance of self-realisation (or personal fulfilment), service to others (including supporting one’s family), and community (or those with whom we work) if work is to have meaning.  

Chapter 2 unpacks fundamental concepts such as work, meaningfulness and purpose and suggests that while our personal perspectives are important when it comes to judging work meaningful, tied as such judgements are to our systems of value, they are not simply statements of preference but are in fact prescriptive – which raises the possibility of our being wrong, for instance if our priorities are mistaken or we are confused about what matters to us. Much therefore depends on our theory of what constitutes meaning(fulness).

Chapters 3 and 4 examine factors that can influence the meaningfulness of work, focusing primarily on the importance of individual perspective and ‘work orientation’. With regard to the latter, whether one sees one’s work as a job, career or calling can have a fundamental impact on levels of satisfaction, fulfilment and identification with one’s work. While the authors recognise that ‘job-crafting’ and changing one’s orientation to work is not a means by which anyone can suddenly transform a tedious job into a rewarding career, their observations highlight the importance of ‘meaning-making’, whilst also acknowledging the fact that the perspectives of others (rather than simply that of the worker) matter, and that the nature of the work itself is often central: ‘Notwithstanding this implication that meaning and purpose are to be found in the worker … it is difficult to deny that there are some features in the world around work that make some work more conducive to cultivating meaning and purpose than others’ (page 60).

Chapter 5 looks at meaningful work in organisations, considering reasons for the shift towards stakeholder value perspectives and the proliferation of company statements of purpose. Comparing work in one of the Big Four accounting firms to that of a small, worker-owned company, the authors recognise that many people (themselves included, previously) do find meaning and value working for large firms, under pressure to produce results. They also acknowledge that large organisations can achieve purposes that matter to individuals who work for them and that what matters when it comes to any stated company purpose is sincerity: ‘ … the organizations in which we often work can fulfill those inspiring purposes, from serving society’s needs to making the world a better place. They can do so at a scale that we could not achieve as individuals, harnessing collective power that enables us to connect our personal meaning and talent to a larger purpose …  economic sense and moral sentiments can align together to build organizations that are monetarily successful and provide work that is meaningful to their employees’ (page 81). While organisations can strip the meaning from work and leave employees feeling under-valued in repetitive, tedious work, they can also create communities and serve valuable purposes. As ever, much depends on the values of the individual, but in organisations, a good deal is down to the approach of the leaders.

Chapter 6 raises the question of how market and state value and put a price on work (and life) according to its ‘market fit’ or societal benefit. There is rather less in the way of conceptual discussion in this chapter and while the reader can extract from the detailed case studies the tension between personal and societal values that confer meaning on work, a closer, more guided discussion of the ways in which our socio-economic system can assign meaning (or otherwise) would have been welcome.

The final chapter considers the future of work and the issues that are likely to arise as work changes, recapitulates earlier material and reinforces the book’s organisation around the three levels of work, offering a series of terms that express functional and moral practices or motivations connected with work at each level.

While brief, The Meaning and Purpose of Work covers a good deal of ground and in returning to certain themes constantly, maintains coherence. Some readers might wonder why, in a book dealing with meaningful work, there is little discussion of the specific rewards and challenges of self-employment, and the acquisition of professional skills seems to receive no attention. However, it is likely that these subjects – and others – could be addressed by the conceptual resources provided, possibly in terms of personal fulfilment or self-realisation. Perhaps more of a challenge is the importance of human dignity as a feature of work. While the authors do hint at this in places with terms such as ‘noble’ and considerations of the importance of ‘feeling valued’, this fundamental value connected with work – one likely to shape many conceptions of its meaning – is not discussed directly at all. While the foundations for a discussion of dignity may well be present, if the concept cannot be reduced to some other notion delineated in the book, such as ‘self-realisation’ or ‘recognition’, many would consider the absence of any consideration of dignity to be a significant oversight.

Nevertheless, the book is certainly to be recommended. The Meaning and Purpose of Work is very accessible and well written. Much of the discussion is conceptual but this is always clear and illustrated with well-chosen examples, while engagement with the major literature is in no way over-bearing. The authors do not seek to tell readers what meaningful work is and as such, there is no single line of argument to follow throughout. Instead, they invite reflection on what makes work meaningful (or not), and why, both for those engaged in it and those around them – a valuable exercise which is conducted in a measured and balanced fashion. Each chapter contains questions for further consideration or reflection, which suggests that the book is meant for use in seminars. It is likely to appeal to those with interests in philosophy and questions of value in relation to work, and while not intended as an instructional or ‘how to’ book, it would lend itself to being adapted for use in courses or training on subjects such as business purpose or meaningful work. 

‘The Meaning and Purpose of Work: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Considering What Work is For’ by Christopher Wong Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas was published in 2024 by Routledge (ISBN: 978-1-032-30933-0). 121pp.

Neil Jordan is Senior Editor at the Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics. For more information about Neil please click here.