Pathways to Meaning: A New Approach to Studying Emotions at Work

Abstract

Research on the emotional consequences of interactive service work remains inconclusive in large part because scholars have not analyzed the mechanisms that lead frontline employees to adopt the meanings disseminated by their employers. The authors argue that the theoretical framework best suited for remedying this situation is the negotiated order perspective. It suggests that whether employees adopt a corporate-sanctioned meaning, and with what emotional effect, depends on the conjunction of several social conditions. The authors also propose a novel analytical strategy that can identify these conditional pathways and formalize the combinatorial logic of the negotiated order perspective: fuzzy-set techniques. To illustrate the utility of this approach, the article examines a university hospital that has tried to create a more meaningful and emotionally rewarding work environment for its nursing staff. Consistent with expectations, findings show that employees can embrace the same corporate-sanctioned meaning under different sets of conditions and with different emotional consequences.

The meaning of IT work

“…Further, recognition systems may emphasize achievements and value creation. These recommendations are made because specific job characteristics are known to influence individuals' sense-making of what work means and what it signifies [7]. …”

“…As IT research has not yet examined the meaning of IT work, we draw from an extensive body of research in organizational behavior and psychology that has examined the meaning of work in various professions such as nursing [7], zookeeping [3] and teaching [4]. Across occupations, there are commonalities in meanings of work and subtle differences in the descriptors or themes of meanings [9].…”

Work and Emotions

“…Erickson and Stacey (2013) warn that the ongoing commercialization of human service work requires renewed efforts to understand the emotional demands and experiences of health care workers. Grant et al (2009) reject the view that treats health care as either emotionally alienating or fulfilling for employees. Instead, they suggest there are "different pathways to meaning" in caring organizations.…”

Caregiver Identity as a Useful Concept for Understanding the Linkage between Formal and Informal Care Systems: A Case Study

“…The analysis of identities reveals the central role of subjectivities, communication and interactions, and also the emotional burden that transcends the trajectories of chronic care. This brings us to the same question as the one posed by Grant, Morales and Sallaz (2009): is there a place for emotions in modern work organizations? This question is fundamentally important to chronic care and should prompt further analyses of professional identities, which, far from being delimited by rational imperatives, must take into account the constant search for support that will enable actors to deal with their environment, which is often hostile and unpredictable.…”