Top

Published in:

2020 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

2. What Is Meaning-Mission Fit?

Author : Michelle French-Holloway

Published in: A New Meaning-Mission Fit

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Who are you and why are you here? What does your workplace exist to be and to do? Is the place where you work a good fit for you? This chapter offers an in-depth exploration of meaning, organizational mission, and fit in organizations. The background and definition of meaning-mission fit are established. We learn how values, goals, and alignment come together to form the basis of our experience with work.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

previous chapter Introduction

next chapter The Experience of Meaning-Mission Fit (What’s It Like?)

Adkins, C. L., & Russell, C. J. (1994). Judgments of fit in the selection process: The role of work value congruence. Personnel Psychology, 47(3), 605–624. Retrieved December 22, 2004, from EBSCOHost database.CrossRef

Adler, N. (1997) Purpose in life. Retrieved May 18, 2004, from http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Psychosocial/notebook/purpose.html.

Allan, B. A., Duffy, R. D., & Collisson, B. (2017). Helping others increases meaningful work: Evidence from three experiments. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65, 155–165.CrossRef

Arnold, J. (2004). The congruence problem in John Holland’s theory of vocational decisions. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(1), 95–114.CrossRef

Ashmos, D., & Duchon, D. (2000). Spirituality at work: A conceptualization and measure. Journal of Management Inquiry, 9(2), 134–145.CrossRef

Arnold, K., Turner, N., Barling J., Kelloway, K. & Mckee, M. (2007). Transformational Leadership and Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Meaningful Work. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 12(3):193–203.

Barrett, R. (2003). Culture and consciousness: Measuring spirituality in the workplace by mapping values. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance (pp. 345–366). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.

Baumeister, R. F. (1991). Meanings of life. New York: The Guilford Press.

Baumeister, R. F. (2013, September 16). What is better—a happy life or a meaningful one? Aeon. Retrieved from https://aeon.co/essays/what-is-better-a-happy-life-or-a-meaningful-one.

Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., Aaker, J. L., & Garbinsky, E. N. (2013). Some key differences between a happy life and a meaningful life. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(6), 505–516. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.830764CrossRef

Bellah, R. N., Madsen, R., Sullivan, W. M., Swidler, A., & Tipton, S. M. (1985). Habits of the heart: Individualism and commitment in American life. New York: Harper and Row.

Bennis, W. (2002). The leadership advantage. In H. Hesselbein & R. Johnston (Eds.), On mission and leadership: A leader to leader guide (pp. 7–18). New York: Jossey-Bass.

Berg, G. A., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Nakamura, J. (2003). Mission possible? Enabling good work in higher education. Change, 35(5), 41–47.CrossRef

Biswas-Diener, R., Diener, E., & Tamir, M. (2004). The psychology of subjective well-being. Daedalus, 133(2), 18–25. Retrieved December 22, 2004, from ProQuest Database.CrossRef

Bowen, D. E., Ledford Jr., G. E., & Nathan, B. R. (1991). Hiring for the organization, not the job. Academy of Management Executive, 5(4), 35–51.

Britt, T. W., Adler, A. B., & Bartone, P. T. (2001). Deriving benefits from stressful events: The role of engagement in meaningful work and hardiness. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 6, 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.6.1.53CrossRef

Brown, W. A., & Yoshioka, C. (2003). Mission attachment and satisfaction as factors in employee retention. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 14(1), 5–18.CrossRef

Bunderson, J., & Thompson, J. (2009). The call of the wild: Zookeepers, callings, and the double-edged sword of deeply meaningful work. Administrative Science Quarterly, 54, 32–57. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.2009.54.1.32CrossRef

Camus, A. (1955). The absurdity of human existence. In J. O’Brien & E. D. Klemke (Eds.), The Meaning of Life (2nd ed., pp. 94–100). New York: Oxford University Press.

Chamberlain, K., & Zika, S. (1988). Religiosity, life meaning and wellbeing: Some relationships in a sample of women. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 27(3), 411–420. Retrieved May 28, 2006, from EbscoHost Database.CrossRef

Covey, S. R. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. New York: Fireside.

Covey, S. R., & Gulledge, K. A. (1992). Principle-centered leadership. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 15(4), 70–79.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2003). Good business: Leadership, flow, and the making of meaning. New York: Penguin Group.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., Diener, E., Peterson, C., Seligman, M. & Vaillant, G. (2004). Positive Psychology Templeton Fellows Program: Funding opportunity: Call for applications. Retrieved November 1, 2004, from http://www.psych.upenn.edu/seligman/ppfellows.doc.

Damon, W., Menon, J., & Cotton Bronk, K. (2003). The development of purpose during adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 7(3), 119–128.CrossRef

De La Rosa Ducut, J. (2005). Nurturing the ethical reasoning of leaders: The illumination of ethics education, demographics, and teaching methods. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University.

Diener, E., & Lucas, R. E. (2000). Subjective emotional well-being. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (2nd ed., pp. 325–337). New York: Guilford. Retrieved November 10, 2004, from http://www.psych.uiuc.edu/~ediener/hottopic/paper2.html

Dik, B. J., Duffy, R. D., & Eldridge, B. M. (2009). Calling and vocation in career counseling: Recommendations for promoting meaningful work. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40, 625–632. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015547CrossRef

Driskell, J. E., Hogan, R., & Salas, E. (1987). Personality and group performance. In C. Hendrick (Ed.), Review of personality and social psychology (Vol. 9, pp. 91–112). Beverly Hills: Sage.

Drummond, C. (2003). Strategic planning for research administration. The Journal of Research Administration, 34(2), 4–10.

Duffy, R. D., Allan, B. A., Autin, K. L., & Bott, E. M. (2013). Calling and life satisfaction: It’s not about having it, it’s about living it. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 42–52. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030635CrossRef

Duffy, R. D., Bott, E. M., Allan, B. A., Torrey, C. L., & Dik, B. J. (2012). Perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction: Testing a moderated, multiple mediator model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59, 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026129CrossRef

Edwards, J. R. (2008). Person–environment fit in organizations: An assessment of theoretical progress. The Academy of Management Annals, 2(1), 167–230.CrossRef

Edwards, J. R., & Cable, D. M. (2009). The value of value congruence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(3), 654.CrossRef

Erikson, E. (1985). Childhood and society: 35th anniversary edition. New York: W.W. Norton.

Fairhurst, G. T., Jordan, J. M., & Neuwirth, K. (1997). Why are we here? Managing the meaning of an organizational mission statement. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 25, 243–263.CrossRef

Frankl, V. E. (1968). The doctor and the soul: From psychotherapy to logotherapy (2nd ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Frankl, V. E. (1984). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy (3rd ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Fry, L. W. (2003). Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 14(6), 693–727.CrossRef

Fry, L. W. & Matherly, L. L. (2006). Spiritual leadership and organizational performance: An exploratory study. In Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, (11–16 August) Atlanta-Georgia.

Fry, L. W., & Matherly, L. L. (2007). Workplace spirituality, spiritual leadership and performance excellence. In S. G. Rogleberg (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. San Francisco: Sage.

Giacalone, R. A., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

Hackman, J. R., & Morris, C. G. (1975). Group tasks, group interaction process, and group performance effectiveness: A review and proposed integration. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 8, pp. 45–99). New York: Academic Press.

Hardy, L. (1990). The fabric of this world: Inquiries into calling, career choice, and the design of human work. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.

Harlow, L. L., Newcomb, M. D., & Bentler, P. M. (1986). Depression, self-derogation, substance use, and suicide ideation: Lack of purpose in life as a mediational factor. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 42, 5–21.CrossRef

Haythorn, W. W. (1968). The composition of groups: A review of the literature. Acta Psychologica, 28, 97–128.CrossRef

Hirschi, A. (2012). Callings and work engagement: Moderated mediation model of work meaningfulness, occupational identity, and occupational self-efficacy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59, 479–485. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028949CrossRef

Hoffman, A. J. (2003). Reconciling professional and personal value systems: The spiritually motivated manager an organizational entrepreneur. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance (pp. 193–208). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

Holland, J. L. (1973). Making vocational choices: A theory of careers. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Holland, J. L. (1985). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Jackson, S. E., Brett, J. F., Sessa, V. I., Cooper, D. M., Julin, J. A., & Peyronnin, K. (1991). Some differences make a difference: Individual dissimilarity and group heterogeneity as correlates of recruitment, promotions and turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 675–689.CrossRef

Kalliath, T. J., Bluedorn, A. C., & Strube, M. J. (1999). A test of value congruence effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(7), 1175.CrossRef

Kaufman, R., Oakley-Browne, H., Watkins, R., & Leigh, D. (2003). Strategic planning for success: Aligning people, performance, and payoffs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Kinjerski, V., & Skrypnek, B. (2008). The promise of spirit at work: Increasing job satisfaction and organizational commitment and reducing turnover and absenteeism in long-term care. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 34(10), 17–27.CrossRef

Klimoski, R. J., & Jones, R. G. (1995). Staffing for effective group decision making: Key issues in matching people and teams. In R. Guzzo & E. Salas (Eds.), Team effectiveness and decision making in organizations (pp. 291–332). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Knowling, R. (2002). Why vision matters. In H. Hesselbein & R. Johnston (Eds.), On mission and leadership: A leader to leader guide (pp. 129–140). New York: Jossey-Bass.

Kolbe, K. (2004). Powered by instinct: 5 rules for trusting your guts. Phoenix, AZ: Monumentus Press.

Kristof, A. L. (1996). Person-organization fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurement, and implications. Personnel Psychology, 49(1), 1–49.CrossRef

Kristof-Brown, A. L., & Stevens, C. K. (2001). Goal congruence in project teams: Does the fit between members’ personal mastery and performance goals matter? Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(6), 1083–1095.CrossRef

Laughlin, P. R., Branch, L. G., & Johnson, H. H. (1969). Individual versus triadic performance and unidimensional complementary task as a function of initial ability level. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 12, 144–150.CrossRef

Leigh, D. (2001). The relationship of several leadership styles, generative concern, values prioritization, and individual differences with goal-directed motivation and commitment. Dissertation Abstracts International, 62(05), 1659A. Retrieved June 23, 2005, from ProQuest database.

Lepisto, D. A., & Pratt, M. G. (2017). Meaningful work as realization and justification: Toward a dual conceptualization. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology, 7, 99–121.CrossRef

Lewin, K. (1935). A dynamic theory of personality. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science. New York: Harper.

Lewis, H. (2000). A question of values: Six ways we make the personal choices that shape our lives. Crozet, VA: Axios Press.

Liedtka, J. M. (1989). Value congruence: The interplay of individual and organizational value systems. Journal of Business Ethics, 8(10), 805–815.CrossRef

Lindholm, J. A. (2003). Perceived organizational fit: Nurturing the minds, hearts, and personal ambitions of university faculty. The Review of Higher Education, 27(1), 125–149.CrossRef

Louis, M. R. (1990). Acculturation in the workplace: Newcomers as lay ethnographers. In B. Schneider (Ed.), Organizational culture and climate (pp. 85–129). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Martela, F. (2017). Meaningfulness as contribution. Southern Journal of Philosophy, 55, 232–256. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12217CrossRef

Martela, F., & Riekki, T. J. J. (2018). Autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence: A multicultural comparison of the four pathways to meaningful work. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1157.CrossRef

Maslow, A. H. (1965). Eupsychian management: A journal. Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin.

Maslow, A. H. (1987). Motivation and personality. Menlo Park, CA: Longman.

Murray, H. A. (1938). Explorations in personality. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Murray, H. A. (1951). Toward a classification of interaction. In T. Parsons & E. A. Shils (Eds.), Toward a general theory of action (pp. 434–464). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

National Career Development Association. (2003). Career Development: A Policy Statement of the National Career Development Association Board of Directors. Retrieved from http://www.ncda.org/ about/polcdps.html

Neal, J. (2018). Overview of the field of workplace spirituality: A literature review. Retrieved from the Management, Spirituality & Religion Community: Connect Website, Discussion & Library. Retrieved from https://msr.aom.org/viewdocument/overview-of-workplace-spirituality.

Northouse, P. G. (2001). Leadership theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.

Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a vocation. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Patsfall, M. R., & Feimer, N. R. (1985). The role of person-environment fit in job performance and satisfaction. In H. J. Bernardin & D. A. Bownas (Eds.), Personality assessment in organizations (pp. 53–81). New York: Praeger.

Pearce, J. A., & David, F. (1987). Corporate mission statements: The bottom line. Academy of Management Executive, 1, 109–116.

Pollard, C. W. (2002). Mission as an organizing principle. In H. Hesselbein & R. Johnston (Eds.), On mission and leadership: A leader to leader guide (pp. 53–62). New York: Jossey-Bass.

Posner, B. Z. (1992). Person-organization values congruence: No support for individual differences as moderating effects. Human Relations, 45(4), 351–362.CrossRef

Robbins, S. P. (2003). The essentials of organizational behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Robin, C. S. (1998). Existential perspectives on meaningful work: Explorations with executive men. Dissertation Abstracts International, 59(06), 3106B. Retrieved March 28, 2005, from ProQuest database.

Rosso, B. D., Dekas, K. H., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2010). On the meaning of work: A theoretical integration and review. Research in Organizational Behavior, 30, 91–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2010.09.001CrossRef

Rubino, J. A. (1998). Aligning personal values and corporate values: A personal and strategic necessity. Employment Relations Today, 25(3), 23. Abstract retrieved December 22, 2004, from ProQuest database.CrossRef

Rycraft, J. R. (1994). The party isn’t over: The agency role in retention of public child welfare caseworkers. Social Work, 39(1), 75–80. Retrieved July 3, 2005 from EBSCO database.

Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schneider, B. (1987). The people make the place. Personnel Psychology, 40, 437–453.CrossRef

Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: Free Press.

Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Currency Doubleday.

Shaw, M. E. (1981). Group dynamics: The psychology of small group behavior (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Silberman, I. (2005). Religion as a meaning system: Implications for the new millennium. Journal of Social Issues, 61(4), 641–663. Retrieved May 28, 2006, from EbscoHost Database.CrossRef

Steger, M. F., & Dik, B. J. (2009). If one is looking for meaning in life, does it help to find meaning in work? Applied Psychology. Health and Well-Being, 1, 303–320. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-0854.2009.01018.xCrossRef

Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work the work and meaning inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20, 322–337. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072711436160CrossRef

Steger, M. F., & Frazier, P. (2005). Meaning in life: One link in the chain from religiousness to well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(4), 574–582. Retrieved May 27, 2006, from EbscoHost Database.CrossRef

Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80–93.CrossRef

Steger, M. F., Pickering, N. K., Shin, J. Y., & Dik, B. J. (2010). Calling in work: Secular or sacred? Journal of Career Assessment, 18(1), 82–96.CrossRef

Tanno, K., Sakata, K., Ohsawa, M., Onoda, T., Itai, K., Yaegashi, Y., et al. (2009). Associations of ikigai as a positive psychological factor with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality among middle-aged and elderly Japanese people: Findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67, 67–75.CrossRef

Terkel, S. (1974). Working: People talk about what they do all day and how they feel about what they do. New York: New Press.

Tosi, H. L., Mero, N. P., & Rizzo, J. R. (2000). Managing organizational behavior (4th ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Trice, H. M., & Beyer, J. M. (1993). The cultures of work organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Tsui, A. S., Egan, T. D., & O’Reilly III, C. A. (1992). Being different: Relational demography and organizational attachment. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37, 549–579.CrossRef

Vancouver, J. B., Millsap, R. E., & Peters, P. A. (1994). Multilevel analysis of organizational goal congruence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(5), 666–680.CrossRef

Visser, W. (2003). Meaning, work, and social responsibility. Retrieved January 17, 2005, from workplace spiritualityinfo/MeaningWorkSocialResponsibility.html.

Weldon, E., & Weingart, L. R. (1993). Group goals and group performance. British Journal of Social Psychology, 32, 307–334.CrossRef

Witt, L. A. (1998). Enhancing organizational goal congruence: A solution to organizational politics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(4), 666–675.CrossRef

Wolf, S. (1997). Happiness and meaning: Two aspects of the good life. Social Philosophy and Policy, 14, 207–225.CrossRef

Wrzesniewski, A., McCauley, C., Rozin, P., & Schwartz, B. (1997). Jobs, careers, and callings: People’s relations to their work. Journal of Research in Personality, 31(1), 21–33.CrossRef

Zander, R. S., & Zander, B. (2002). The art of possibility: Transforming professional and personal life. New York: Penguin Books.

Title: What Is Meaning-Mission Fit?
Author: Michelle French-Holloway
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: A New Meaning-Mission Fit
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41163-3

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-41164-0

Copyright Year: 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41164-0_2

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Premium Partner