ABSTRACT
CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE MEANING OF WORK Despite the relatively recent interest in this topic, a well-articulated theory of MOW has not yet been developed. The pioneering classic project of the Meaning of Work International Research Team resulted only in a heuristic model based on the conception that MOW is determined by the choices and experiences of individuals and by the organizational and environmental context in which they work and live (MOW-International Research Team, 1987). The conceptualization presented here is based on the MOW research project, carried out comparatively in eight countries (including Israel). It portrays MOW in terms of six major notions or dimensions: work centrality, entitlement norm, obligation norm, economic orientation, expressive orientation, and interpersonal relations. Descriptions of the core concepts addressed by each are specified below.
