The meaning of work for professional employees in public sector client-focused organizations: A concept definition and an assessment of how it informs research on commitment to work

The research in this dissertation seeks to increase our understanding of work commitment by exploring the meaning of work for professional employees engaged in providing direct services to clients served by a public organization. Work commitment is an important issue for organizations because of its potential relationship to the effectiveness of organizations and the difference work may make in the attitudes and behavior of individuals. This research also demonstrates that individuals attach importance to the meaning of work in their lives.; I used a grounded theory approach within the qualitative research tradition to define the categories or concepts that comprised the meaning of work. The central research questions, "What is meaningful in the work of professional direct service workers in client-focused organizations?" and its companion, "How do these findings inform research on work commitment?" are explored by analyzing data from semi-structured interviews and comparing research findings based on those data to the work commitment literature.; My research results included a set of concepts and definitions that illuminated the meaning of work. I combined concepts to form six domains, which are broader concepts. Those domains are "deeper meaning," "having enough," "interaction and affinity," "way of work," "personal and family needs," and "performing, staying, and leaving." Concepts included in the first three domains seemed to have a primary or direct relationship with the meaning of work while concepts contained in the final three domains seemed to have a less direct or secondary link with the meaning of work. The meaning of work may change over the life of an individual and the relative importance of the domains may also change.; Early in the dissertation I identified gaps in the organizational commitment literature while asserting that there is also common ground between commitment and the meaning of work. My analysis of data supported parallels between organizational commitment and the meaning of work but it also clarified the considerable and important differences that existed. I offer findings of this dissertation research to inform further research on work commitment. Finally, I considered the implications of the research findings for organizations and the implications for future research.