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