Work as Meaningful and Menacing Phenomenon for South African Middle Managers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Self-Transcendence in Cultivating Meaning and Wellbeing

Abstract

Self-transcendence has become and remains an important research theme. Little is known about the role of self-transcendence in cultivating meaningful work and its impact on the wellbeing of middle managers in the face of adversity, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the meaning middle managers attach to their work by investigating the role of self-transcendence in cultivating meaning and wellbeing in a cohort of seven South African middle managers employed in cross-boundary service industry settings. Data were collected through unstructured narratives. Findings confirm that self-transcendence serves as a coping mechanism during adversity and that it facilitates the re-negotiation of meaning, resulting in three potential shifts: the shift from a blame orientation to a work orientation, the shift from reflection to reflexivity and the shift from self-consciousness to other-consciousness. The findings also highlight how self-transcendence enables the exploration of the adaptive benefits of anxiety. The findings contribute new insights into the construct of self-transcendence and extend research on existential positive psychology. It is suggested that organizations invest in reflexive practices as a tool to promote deep learning and connectivity by exploring dialectical processes through reflexive work.

Managerial Survival: Middle Manager Sense-Making during Organisational Change

“…The research question asked how middle managers, as agents of change, shape strategic outcomes within an organisational social structure. The findings confirm two specific sets of practices from their sensemaking efforts: reframing their context to cope and forming relationships to support (Flotman, 2021). Amid the dysfunction and inconsistency, some participants felt a sense of accomplishment in their work: 'I believe this experience…has made me stronger.…”

“…Some participants rationalised the adverse organisational environment by reframing (Colville et al, 2016) its significance in coping. Through sensemaking and reframing, employees could cope practically with their constraining organisational reality (Chia et al, 2006;Segal, 2010;Colville et al, 2016;Flotman, 2021). Their embodied sensemaking through an agency was a conscious decision to assume power within a disempowering organisational social structure (Chia et al, 2007;Thompson et al, 2009;Colville et al, 2016;Van Niekerk et al, 2022).…”

Socio-Ecological Factors and Well-Being among Self-Employed in Europe during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Having the feeling of doing useful work was important for both groups of selfemployed people. Previous research has stressed the importance of cultivating useful and meaningful work among managers during times of hardship and misfortune [40]. Work has a great impact on an individual's physical and psychological health, and the feeling of doing useful work serves a valuable purpose for sustaining and enhancing wellbeing [68,69].…”

“…In the latter situation, higher scores on the various dimensions of the socio-ecological model may be even more beneficial to the level of well-being of the self-employed. In other words, it is likely that good socio-ecological conditions may provide even greater protection against ill health in precarious circumstances than if the situation were more stable [38][39][40]. The aim of the study was to investigate the well-being of self-employed people during the pandemic and whether their well-being was influenced by factors representing four socio-ecological levels: resilience, social support, doing useful work and clear rules.…”

Interconnectedness Is Associated with a Greater Sense of Civic Duty and Collective Action Participation through Transcendental Awareness and Compassion during COVID-19

“…The capacity to care for other people in the society and concern for social causes that may benefit fellow citizens in the society had been demonstrated to correlate with finding meaning in adversity and mental well-being, both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic [ 7 , 27 , 28 ]. In fact, a qualitative study posited that the sense of self-transcendence that has emerged amidst the pandemic could be conceptualized as “the expression of and the creation of a sense of relatedness to others” [ 29 ]. Another cross-sectional study also demonstrated self-transcendence to be associated with prosocial intentions and behaviors (e.g., willingness to do grocery shopping for neighbors who are in need and telework for people in developing countries during the pandemic) and to fully mediate the relationship between social dominance orientation (SDO) and prosociality [ 30 ].…”