"We're not scum, we're human": Agential responses in the face of meaningless work. Issue 4 (December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bailey, Catherine; Madden, Adrian
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian journal of management. Volume 35:Issue 4(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Subjects: Agency -- Alienation -- Meaningful work -- Meaningless work -- Relational sociology; Industrial management -- Periodicals; Industrial management -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; Gestion d'entreprise -- Périodiques; Gestion d'entreprise -- Scandinavie -- Périodiques; 658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scaman.2019.101064
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0956-5221

Abstract

Highlights: Research on meaningful work has thus far failed to take account of the relational nature of work. We combine insights from the relational sociology and meaningful work literatures to address this gap. Powerlessness, disconnection, devaluation and self-doubt are associated with meaninglessness. Individuals respond by either seeking to reinstate meaningfulness or cope with the experience of meaninglessness. Responses are stratified and not all strategies are open to all workers. Abstract: In this article, we address a gap in the meaningful work literature by exploring the processes by which work is experienced as meaningless. We adopt the lens of relational sociology and, through interviews with 45 participants in four very different occupations, we found that meaninglessness arises through four relational processes: powerlessness, disconnection, devaluation and self-doubt. Individuals enacted six agential responses to this experience. Two of these, resisting and responsibility-taking, were "reinstatement" strategies and four, acceptance, distancing, minimising and resistance, were "coping" strategies. In addition, some informants used "switching" as a framing device. These responses were not equally available to all workers in all occupations, suggestive of a stratified experience of work meaninglessness. Our study contributes to understandings of how work is rendered meaningless and how individuals might respond.