TY - JOUR

T1 - Patching Meaningfulness:

AU - Duesterbeck, Johanne Ragna

AU - Habersang, Stefanie

N1 - Conference code: 83

PY - 2022/8/1

Y1 - 2022/8/1

N2 - Despite an increasing interest in the concept of meaningfulness at work, so far, relatively little research has been conducted on how the construction of meaningfulness evolves in pluralistic work contexts. We explore the construction of meaningfulness in pluralistic contexts by drawing on the case of academia, particularly the experiences of early career scholars (ECS) in Germany. We found that ECS draw on three competing discourses about legitimate academic work: the “performance discourse”, the “intellectual discourse” and the “engagement discourse”. The competing nature of these discourses generates tensions for ECS and the need to engage in a practice that we label patching meaningfulness. Our study contributes to the emerging stream of research that conceptualizes meaningfulness as a constant tension between the “self” and “others”. We show that work roles pose an important channel enabling scholars to perpetuate multiple valued self-definitions in a context of conflicting ideals about academic work. Similarly, we contribute to the literature that understands meaningfulness as inherently temporal and episodic.

AB - Despite an increasing interest in the concept of meaningfulness at work, so far, relatively little research has been conducted on how the construction of meaningfulness evolves in pluralistic work contexts. We explore the construction of meaningfulness in pluralistic contexts by drawing on the case of academia, particularly the experiences of early career scholars (ECS) in Germany. We found that ECS draw on three competing discourses about legitimate academic work: the “performance discourse”, the “intellectual discourse” and the “engagement discourse”. The competing nature of these discourses generates tensions for ECS and the need to engage in a practice that we label patching meaningfulness. Our study contributes to the emerging stream of research that conceptualizes meaningfulness as a constant tension between the “self” and “others”. We show that work roles pose an important channel enabling scholars to perpetuate multiple valued self-definitions in a context of conflicting ideals about academic work. Similarly, we contribute to the literature that understands meaningfulness as inherently temporal and episodic.

KW - Management studies

U2 - 10.5465/AMBPP.2022.117

DO - 10.5465/AMBPP.2022.117

M3 - Conference abstract in journal

VL - 2022

JO - Academy of Management Proceedings

JF - Academy of Management Proceedings

SN - 0065-0668

IS - 1

M1 - 11432

Y2 - 3 March 2022 through 11 March 2022

ER -