Building a meaningful workplace: Ideas, tools, and strategies

People talk about the search for meaning in life, but what about the search for meaning in work? That's right, work! Is there such a thing as a truly meaningful workplace? What does it look like, and how can we create it? These questions prompted a major research effort known as the Meaning At Work Project. Consisting of an extensive series of focus groups and interviews, the research uncovered 22 key sources of meaning in the workplace. These `meaning keys,' as they're called, give tangibility to an inherently intangible topic. They offer a simple yet powerful tool for analyzing the workplace and setting the stage for improvement.