What Drives Workplace Engagement and Meaning? Foundations for Purposeful and Fulfilling Work

Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
Apr 14
6 min read

Listen to this article:

Abstract: This article examines the critical role of meaningful work in today's organizational landscape, arguing that while traditional compensation factors remain important, employees increasingly seek deeper purpose and fulfillment in their professional lives. Through a comprehensive exploration of four key dimensions—autonomy, growth, impact, and relatedness—the authors present research-backed insights into what drives workplace engagement and meaning. The article provides practical examples from diverse industries to illustrate how leaders can implement strategies that promote self-direction, continuous learning, meaningful contribution, and community connection. By understanding and incorporating these foundational elements of meaningful work, organizational leaders can develop holistic approaches that simultaneously advance business objectives and support employee well-being, ultimately creating work environments where individuals find genuine significance in their daily responsibilities.

In the modern world of work, employee engagement and meaning at work have never been more critical to organizational success and individual well-being. While discussions of compensation, benefits, and other transactional workplace factors remain highly relevant, many employees increasingly seek deeper meaning, purpose, and fulfillment through their work. As research demonstrates the outcomes associated with meaning at work, organizational leaders are tasked with fostering environments where individuals can find significance and purpose in their daily responsibilities and roles.

Today we will explore the research foundations related to meaningful work through an examination of autonomy, growth, impact, and relatedness. By gaining a robust understanding of what drives workplace engagement and meaning, leaders can craft holistic strategies supporting not only business goals but also the well-being and development of their people.

Autonomy: The Desire for Self-Directed Purpose

One of the strongest predictors of meaningful work is the degree of autonomy employees experience. Autonomy refers to an individual's sense of choice and self-direction in their tasks and responsibilities. A wealth of research demonstrates the positive effects of autonomy on employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance (Hackman & Oldham, 1976; Thompson & Prottas, 2005; Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, Soenens, & Lens, 2010). When people have independence and flexibility in how they complete their work, they feel empowered, motivated, and invested in the outcomes of their efforts.

An excellent example is the software industry, where highly skilled knowledge workers expect a high degree of autonomy. Companies like GitHub, Gitlab, and Stack Overflow embrace self-organizing teams and workflows to retain top talent. Developers have freedom over their schedules, technologies used, and day-to-day responsibilities as long as larger organizational goals are accomplished. This empowers them to experiment, learn, and be entrepreneurial which creates a sense of ownership over outcomes. Likewise, creative organizations like Pixar and IDEO structure work as self-directed projects to maintain an innovative culture. Employees collaborate with peers while having flexibility as long as milestones are delivered.

The takeaway is leaders should seek opportunities to decentralize decision making and empower employees as much as practical given business requirements. Micro-managing breeds disengagement while autonomy supports meaning and purpose at work.

Growth and Learning: Developing Through Challenges

Studies also consistently link meaningful work to opportunity for continued growth, learning, and development (Allan, Bickerstaffe, & Swap, 2017). When workers feel they are stagnating in their abilities and knowledge, work loses purpose and motivation wanes. On the other hand, continuous growth refers to an environment where employees are consistently challenged to expand their skillset through new responsibilities, education, or stretch projects.

A prime example is large professional services firms like Deloitte, PwC, and Accenture. They consider human capital development a core part of their value proposition, constantly rotating staff onto new projects and client responsibilities. Formal training programs offer ongoing education, and leadership tracks are merit-based to retain top performers. This growth mindset leads to fulfilling careers for employees who feel their capabilities are broadening each year.

Similarly, manufacturing companies like Toyota promote continuous improvement through small process tests that push the limits of production and quality standards. Staff participate in identifying and implementing efficiencies, fostering adaptable problem-solving skills directly applicable to their roles. Growth comes from incrementally challenging established norms and pushing technical boundaries.

The lesson is leaders must regularly assess development opportunities within existing roles and consider lateral rotations when appropriate to keep workers' skills and responsibilities progressing over the long term. Growth drives engagement more than any compensation increase.

Impact and Contribution: Making a Difference Through Work

Another core driver for meaningful work relates to feeling one's efforts genuinely contribute to and impact outcomes that matter (Rosso, Dekas, & Wrzesniewski, 2010). People want to see their actions advance goals important to them personally and have clear implications for others. Impact refers to the ability of employees to understand how their work aids the organization in achieving its mission and serving relevant communities or customer needs.

A strong example is healthcare organizations focusing on community service and tangible outcomes. Hospitals promote meaning by highlighting how staff assist patients, research cures, or train the next generation of caregivers. Non-profits like Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity show employees their donations and labor directly help people in need through services and affordable housing. This creates civic pride by connecting roles to alleviating real community challenges.

Similarly, technology firms emphasize product features and capabilities in ways workers understand contribute to users' experiences, such as features enabling accessibility for disabled populations at Microsoft or speeding scientific discoveries through data analytics at Illumina. Storytelling how people are helped through one's work drives intrinsic motivation.

The takeaway is that leaders should openly communicate how roles serve organizational missions that make a difference to external stakeholders. Clarifying impact cultivates purpose by tying daily tasks to matters greater than oneself.

Relatedness: Belonging Through Collaboration and Community

Lastly, meaningful work depends on relatedness—feeling connected to and supported by colleagues through team dynamics and culture (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). While independence is important, it is still human nature to find purpose as part of something larger through collaborative relationships. Relatedness involves feeling one belongs to a community where mutual understanding and assistance foster workplace bonds.

An exemplar is consumer brands like Patagonia and The Container Store renowned for connecting staff beyond transactional roles. They cultivate cultural experiences like outdoor retreats, volunteer days, and social mixers to strengthen interpersonal bonds that nurture purpose when collaborating. Intra-company programs introduce colleagues across divisions to spark new ideas and passions through diverse partnerships.

Associations including trade groups also rely on collegial community spirit to engage members. The American Medical Association retains physicians by convening conferences and networking events bringing isolation-prone members together for inspiration, mentorship, and professional alliances that make work more fulfilling through relationships.

In summary, relatedness encourages leadership to facilitate casual interactions where colleagues support one another through collaborative problem-solving, mentoring circles, and inclusive social programs cementing organizational belonging and collective purpose.

Conclusion

While factors like compensation are transactional workplace motivators, true employee engagement depends on individuals finding deeper meaning and significance through their efforts that bring joy and purpose. Leaders seeking both individual well-being and business success must cultivate an environment where underlying drivers for meaningful work—autonomy, growth, impact, and relatedness—are authentically incorporated into organizational culture and workflows. By better understanding research illuminating what makes work purposeful and applying lessons through practical approaches shown here, management can foster intrinsic fulfillment that serves both business and human priorities. Overall, a culture of meaning elevates performance while also enriching individuals' lives outside the workplace through the significance they derive within it each day.

References

Allan, B. A., Bickerstaffe, K. A., & Swap, W. C. (2017). Does feeling meaningful at work matter? Examining the influences of meaningful work on work outcomes. In Duffy, R. D., & Dik, B. J. (Eds.), Research and practice in career development and public policy: Innovations for diversity and inclusion. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational behavior and human performance, 16(2), 250-279.
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.
Thompson, C. A., & Prottas, D. J. (2005). Relationships among organizational family support, job autonomy, perceived control, and employee well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(4), 100-118.
Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., Soenens, B., & Lens, W. (2010). Capturing autonomy, competence, and relatedness at work: Construction and initial validation of the Work‐related Basic Need Satisfaction scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(4), 981-1002.

Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2025). What Drives Workplace Engagement and Meaning? Foundations for Purposeful and Fulfilling Work Human Capital Leadership Review, 20(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.20.1.3