Purpose and Purposefulness at Work: The Impact on Employee Engagement and Organizational Commitment

Abstract

Purpose plays an important role in the construction of meaning and meaningfulness of work. This research examined the impact of purpose and purposefulness in the workplace. Study I developed a two-factor purposefulness at work survey and established a taxonomy of purpose through qualitative analysis of personal purpose statements. The model delineates eight types of personal purpose that range from being very self-centered to being very others oriented. The construct validity of the purposefulness at work survey and the robustness of the purpose taxonomy were tested in Study II. All purposes don’t work equally. Others-oriented purposes were associated with higher level of purposefulness at work than were selforiented purposes. In turn, purposefulness was positively correlated with two work-related outcomes — work engagement and organizational commitment. This paper advances the meaning and purpose literature by specifying purpose content and connecting personal purpose to employee experience.