Finding Meaning in Relationships: The Impact of Network Ties and Structure on the Meaningfulness of Work

Abstract

Research has pointed to the importance of interpersonal relationships in the meaningfulness of work, but significant and under-examined issues remain. For example, what types of relationships have the potential to produce a sense of meaningfulness of work? Further, through what mechanisms do these relationship features affect meaningfulness of work? To answer these questions, we adopt a social networks theory lens to explore how the content and structure of an individual’s network ties can influence his or her experience of meaningfulness at work. Our central argument is that network features produce various social resources that facilitate the conditions that create meaningfulness of work. We develop a theoretical model that links the resources provided from three overarching network types, which we label the entrepreneurial, clique, and community-of-practice networks, to three distinct pathways to meaningfulness of work. We also incorporate individuals’ meaning-related preferences into our model, by explaining how the efficacy of social network resources in producing meaningfulness of work will depend on whether the facilitated pathway appeals to an individual’s authentic self.