Os sentidos do trabalho

Morin, Estelle M.

doi:10.1590/S0034-75902001000300002

Resumos

O trabalho representa um valor importante nas sociedades ocidentais contemporâneas, exercendo uma influência considerável sobre a motivação dos trabalhadores, assim como sobre sua satisfação e sua produtividade. Compreender os sentidos do trabalho hoje é um desafio importante para os administradores, tendo em vista as múltiplas transformações que têm atingido as organizações e os "mundos do trabalho". O objetivo deste artigo é determinar, identificar e comentar as características que o trabalho deveria apresentar a fim de ter um sentido para aqueles que o realizam. Acreditamos que os momentos de transformação organizacional constituem, potencialmente, uma oportunidade para reorganizar o trabalho de tal forma que a qualidade de vida e a eficácia organizacional sejam melhoradas e que as características que se atribuem a um trabalho que tem um sentido possam orientar as decisões e as intervenções dos responsáveis pelos processos de transformação organizacional.

Trabalho; sentidos do trabalho; organização do trabalho; comprometimento no trabalho; mudança organizacional

Work represents an important value in contemporary western societies, and exerts a considerable influence on workers' motivation, as well as on their satisfaction and productivity. Understanding the meanings of work represents an important challenge for managers, considering the many and multiple transformations that organizations and the "worlds of work" have been going on. The main objective of this article is to establish, to identify and to comment the main characteristics that work should have in order to be meaningful for those who accomplish it. In these moments of organizational transformations, there are many potential and important opportunities to reorganize the work organization. To improve the quality of life and the organizational effectiveness, it is important that the characteristics related to meaningful work may guide the decisions of those who are responsible for the processes of organizational transformations.

Work; meanings of work; organization of work; commitment at work; organizational change

RECURSOS HUMANOS

Os sentidos do trabalho

Estelle M. Morin

Psicóloga e Professora Titular da HEC Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales. E-mail: estelle.morin@hec.ca

RESUMO

O trabalho representa um valor importante nas sociedades ocidentais contemporâneas, exercendo uma influência considerável sobre a motivação dos trabalhadores, assim como sobre sua satisfação e sua produtividade. Compreender os sentidos do trabalho hoje é um desafio importante para os administradores, tendo em vista as múltiplas transformações que têm atingido as organizações e os "mundos do trabalho". O objetivo deste artigo é determinar, identificar e comentar as características que o trabalho deveria apresentar a fim de ter um sentido para aqueles que o realizam. Acreditamos que os momentos de transformação organizacional constituem, potencialmente, uma oportunidade para reorganizar o trabalho de tal forma que a qualidade de vida e a eficácia organizacional sejam melhoradas e que as características que se atribuem a um trabalho que tem um sentido possam orientar as decisões e as intervenções dos responsáveis pelos processos de transformação organizacional.

Palavras-chave: Trabalho, sentidos do trabalho, organização do trabalho, comprometimento no trabalho, mudança organizacional.

ABSTRACT

Work represents an important value in contemporary western societies, and exerts a considerable influence on workers' motivation, as well as on their satisfaction and productivity. Understanding the meanings of work represents an important challenge for managers, considering the many and multiple transformations that organizations and the "worlds of work" have been going on. The main objective of this article is to establish, to identify and to comment the main characteristics that work should have in order to be meaningful for those who accomplish it. In these moments of organizational transformations, there are many potential and important opportunities to reorganize the work organization. To improve the quality of life and the organizational effectiveness, it is important that the characteristics related to meaningful work may guide the decisions of those who are responsible for the processes of organizational transformations.

Key words: Work, meanings of work, organization of work, commitment at work, organizational change.

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BIBLIOGRAFIA

NOTA

Este artigo é fruto de uma pesquisa financiada pela Direção de Pesquisas da HEC, Montreal.

Tradução: Angelo Soares, Professor de Comportamento Organizacional da Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

BRACKE, P. E., BUGENTAL, J. F. T. La dépendance existentielle: traiter le comportement de type A et la boulotmanie. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec: Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 73-100).
BRIEF, A. P., NORD, W. R. Meaning of occupational work Toronto: Lexington Books, 1990.
EMERY, F. Report on the Hunsfoss Project London: Tavistock, 1964. Tavistock Document Series.
EMERY, F. Future we are in Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, 1976.
ENGLAND, G. W. The patterning of work meanings which are coterminous with work outcome levels for individuals in Japan. Applied Psychology: An International Review, v. 39, n. 1, p. 29-45, 1990.
ENGLAND, G. W., WHITELEY, W. T. Cross-national meanings of working. In: BRIEF, A. P., NORD, W. R. Meanings of occupational work Toronto: Lexington Books, 1990. p. 65-106.
FOX, A. The meaning of work. In: ESLAND, G., SALAMAN, G. The politics of work and organizations Milton Keyes: Open University Press, 1980.
FRYER, D., PAYNE, R. Working definitions. Quality of Working Life, v. 1, n. 5, p. 13-15, 1984.
HACKMAN, J. R., OLDHAM, G. R. Motivation through the design of work: test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, v. 16, p. 250-279, 1976.
HACKMAN, J. R., SUTTLE, J. L. Improving life at work Glenview, Ill: Scott, Foresman, and Co., 1977.
HERZBERG, F. I. Work and the nature of man Cleveland : World Publishing Co., 1966.
HERZBERG, F. I. Maximizing work and minimizing labor. Industry Week, v. 206, n. 8, p. 61-64, 1980.
HERZBERG, F. I. Les quatre questions existentielles: leur effet sur la motivation humaine et le comportement organisationnel. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec : Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 165-188).
JACQUES, E. Des systèmes sociaux comme défenses contre l'anxiété dépressive et l'anxiété de persécution. In: LÉVY, A. Psychologie sociale: textes fondamentaux anglais et américains. Paris: Dunod, 1978. Tome 2, p. 546-565.
KAPLAN, H. R., TAUSKY, C. The meaning of work among the hard-core unemployed. Pacific Sociological Review, v.17, n. 2, p. 185-198, 1974.
KETCHUM, L. D., TRIST, E. All teams are not created equal: how employee empowerment really works. Newbury Park: Sage, 1992.
MORIN, E. M. L'efficacité organisationnelle et le sens du travail. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec: Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 257-286).
MORIN, E. M. Le sens du travail pour des gestionnaires francophones. Revue Psychologie du Travail et des Organisations, v. 3, n. 2/3, p. 26-45, 1997.
MORSE, N. C., WEISS, R. C. The function and meaning of work and the job. American Sociological Review, v. 20, n. 2, p. 191-198, 1955.
MOW International Research Team. The meaning of working New York: Academic Press, 1987.
PAUCHANT, T. C. La quête de l'excellence et le déni de la mort. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec: Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 139-162).
SHEPHERDSON, K. V. The meaning of work and employment: psychological research and psychologists' values. Australian Psychologist, v. 19, n. 3, p. 311-320, 1984.
TAUSKY, C. Meaning of work among blue-collar men. Pacific Sociological Review, v. 12, n. 1, p. 49-55, 1969.
TRIST, E. Adapting to a changing world. Labour Gazette, v. 78, p. 14-20, 1978.
VECCHIO, R. The function and meaning of work and the job: Morse and Weiss (1955) revisited. Academy of Management Journal, v. 23, n. 2, p. 361-367, 1990.
WARR, P. Work, unemployment and mental health Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987.
WEIL, S. La condition ouvrière Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1951.

Datas de Publicação

Publicação nesta coleção
19 Set 2011
Data do Fascículo
Set 2001

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] BRACKE, P. E., BUGENTAL, J. F. T. La dépendance existentielle: traiter le comportement de type A et la boulotmanie. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec: Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 73-100).

[2] BRIEF, A. P., NORD, W. R. Meaning of occupational work Toronto: Lexington Books, 1990.

[3] EMERY, F. Report on the Hunsfoss Project London: Tavistock, 1964. Tavistock Document Series.

[4] EMERY, F. Future we are in Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, 1976.

[5] ENGLAND, G. W. The patterning of work meanings which are coterminous with work outcome levels for individuals in Japan. Applied Psychology: An International Review, v. 39, n. 1, p. 29-45, 1990.

[6] ENGLAND, G. W., WHITELEY, W. T. Cross-national meanings of working. In: BRIEF, A. P., NORD, W. R. Meanings of occupational work Toronto: Lexington Books, 1990. p. 65-106.

[7] FOX, A. The meaning of work. In: ESLAND, G., SALAMAN, G. The politics of work and organizations Milton Keyes: Open University Press, 1980.

[8] FRYER, D., PAYNE, R. Working definitions. Quality of Working Life, v. 1, n. 5, p. 13-15, 1984.

[9] HACKMAN, J. R., OLDHAM, G. R. Motivation through the design of work: test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, v. 16, p. 250-279, 1976.

[10] HACKMAN, J. R., SUTTLE, J. L. Improving life at work Glenview, Ill: Scott, Foresman, and Co., 1977.

[11] HERZBERG, F. I. Work and the nature of man Cleveland : World Publishing Co., 1966.

[12] HERZBERG, F. I. Maximizing work and minimizing labor. Industry Week, v. 206, n. 8, p. 61-64, 1980.

[13] HERZBERG, F. I. Les quatre questions existentielles: leur effet sur la motivation humaine et le comportement organisationnel. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec : Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 165-188).

[14] JACQUES, E. Des systèmes sociaux comme défenses contre l'anxiété dépressive et l'anxiété de persécution. In: LÉVY, A. Psychologie sociale: textes fondamentaux anglais et américains. Paris: Dunod, 1978. Tome 2, p. 546-565.

[15] KAPLAN, H. R., TAUSKY, C. The meaning of work among the hard-core unemployed. Pacific Sociological Review, v.17, n. 2, p. 185-198, 1974.

[16] KETCHUM, L. D., TRIST, E. All teams are not created equal: how employee empowerment really works. Newbury Park: Sage, 1992.

[17] MORIN, E. M. L'efficacité organisationnelle et le sens du travail. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec: Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 257-286).

[18] MORIN, E. M. Le sens du travail pour des gestionnaires francophones. Revue Psychologie du Travail et des Organisations, v. 3, n. 2/3, p. 26-45, 1997.

[19] MORSE, N. C., WEISS, R. C. The function and meaning of work and the job. American Sociological Review, v. 20, n. 2, p. 191-198, 1955.

[20] MOW International Research Team. The meaning of working New York: Academic Press, 1987.

[21] PAUCHANT, T. C. La quête de l'excellence et le déni de la mort. In: PAUCHANT, T. C. et coll. (Coord.). La quête du sens: gérer nos organisations pour la santé des personnes, de nos sociétés et de la nature. Québec: Éditions de l'organisation, 1996. (Collection Manpower, p. 139-162).

[22] SHEPHERDSON, K. V. The meaning of work and employment: psychological research and psychologists' values. Australian Psychologist, v. 19, n. 3, p. 311-320, 1984.

[23] TAUSKY, C. Meaning of work among blue-collar men. Pacific Sociological Review, v. 12, n. 1, p. 49-55, 1969.

[24] TRIST, E. Adapting to a changing world. Labour Gazette, v. 78, p. 14-20, 1978.

[25] VECCHIO, R. The function and meaning of work and the job: Morse and Weiss (1955) revisited. Academy of Management Journal, v. 23, n. 2, p. 361-367, 1990.

[26] WARR, P. Work, unemployment and mental health Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987.

[27] WEIL, S. La condition ouvrière Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1951.

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Os sentidos do trabalho

Resumos

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