Work meaningfulness is fundamental to how employees approach, enact, and experience tasks and interpersonal relationships, and to maintain mental well-being in the workplace. However, research on the antecedents of work meaningfulness is unbalanced, i.e., the heavy emphasis on the supplies (or sources) of work meaningfulness and the insufficient attention on the individuals’ survival and psychological needs. This paper aims to address this research gap of work meaningfulness by incorporating the person-environment fit framework with a special focus on needs-supplies fit type. Drawing on research concerning needs for survival and three basic psychological needs from self-determination theory, a set of needs-based antecedents of work meaningfulness were examined, viz., needs-supplies fit for survival, autonomy, belongingness, and competence (S-ABC needs-supplies fit). Additionally, the interaction effects of S-ABC needs-supplies fit and work orientation (work as jobs, careers, or callings) on work meaningfulness were investigated. The current study applied the two-phased explanatory sequential mixed methods research design (QUAN --> qual = Explain). Results from the phase 1 quantitative survey (N = 363) suggest that work meaningfulness increased as autonomy supplies approached the needed levels and decreased when supplies exceeded the needed levels. Meanwhile, work meaningfulness increased as survival, belongingness, and competence supplies approached the needed levels and remained high or continued increasing (as opposed to an expected decrease) when supplies exceeded the needed levels. Further, the study found interaction effects between work orientation and autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit on work meaningfulness, while no interaction was found between work orientation and survival and competence needs-supplies fit on work meaningfulness. Contrary to expectations, the results suggest that individuals who view work as jobs were more susceptible to autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit/misfit; while work as callings or careers acted as a buffer and mitigated the otherwise negative effects of autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit/misfit on work meaningfulness. Specifically, for people who viewed work as jobs, work meaningfulness increased as autonomy supplies approached the needed levels but decreased when supplies exceeded the needed levels; and work meaningfulness increased as belongingness supplies approached the needed levels and continued increasing as belongingness exceeded the needed levels. When people viewed work as careers or callings, autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit/misfit did not significantly influence work meaningfulness. The phase 2 qualitative interview (N = 23) results generally corroborated with the quantitative results and provided empirical evidences that were explanatory to the quantitative results. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

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Sammanfattning Många resultat i modern arbetslivsforskning fokuserar på stress och reaktiva åtgärder samtidigt som forskning inom kreativitet och innovation främst fokuserar på vinster i ekonomi och tillväxt. Denna studie har för avsikt att undersöka medarbetarens upplevda meningsfullhet i arbetet och kreativt klimat för att finna proaktiva faktorer gällande arbetsrelaterad stress och ohälsa. Interaktiv forskningsmetod med kvantitativa inslag användes då sambandet undersöktes genom en enkätundersökning. Utifrån datainsamlingens resultat formades ett verktyg med syftet att öka det kreativa klimatet och således öka meningsfullheten i arbetet vilket leder till positiva effekter i arbetsmiljön. Resultat från enkäterna visade signifikanta samband mellan meningsfullhet i arbetet och kreativt klimat samt var och en av dimensionerna inom kreativt klimat, vilket bekräftar studiens hypoteser. Ytterligare ett signifikant samband hittades mellan arbetsfunktion och meningsfullhet i arbetet. Slutsatsen är att ett verktyg som ökar det kreativa klimatet i organisationen leder till ökad meningsfullhet i arbetet. / Abstract Modern research in the area of work-life tends to focus on stress and reactive measures at the same time research in creativity and innovation mainly focuses on profits in economy and other organizational gains. This paper intends to examine work meaningfulness and creative climate, with an employee focus, to achieve proactive work in work-related stress and ill-health. The study is based on interactive research methodology with quantitative elements. A quantitative survey examined whether there was a correlation between the factors. Based on the results of the data a work tool was created, aiming to increase the meaningfulness of work via creative climate and thus affect the working environment in a positive sense. Results from the questionnaires showed significant correlation between work meaningfulness and creative climate, as well as each of the ten dimensions in creative climate, confirming the study's hypotheses. Another significant correlation between work function and work meaningfulness were also found. The conclusion is that the tool to enhance the creative climate of the organization leads to increased work meaningfulness.

在高工時的社會下，工作對於生活的比重愈來愈高，工作意義感對個人的重要性也與日俱增，因此，如何提升員工的工作意義感便成為了企業組織需面對的課題。過往探討工作意義感的研究顯示，除了工作特徵外，人際互動亦會對工作意義感有所影響，其中又以領導行為對於部屬工作意義感的型塑具有關鍵的重要地位。然而，對於領導行為的影響歷程，目前卻較少有量化的實徵研究出現，尤其是作為普遍於華人文化中的領導風格，家長式領導如何影響部屬的工作意義感，對華人企業主管在管理上更是格外重要。有鑑於此，本研究立基於社會訊息處理理論，探究家長式領導對於部屬工作意義感的影響，並探討工作目的與正向自我的中介效果。透過兩階段問卷施測，共收集190份有效問卷。研究結果發現仁慈領導能顯著預測工作意義感，而正向自我與工作目的在其中的中介作用則獲得部分支持。最後針對研究結果進行討論，說明理論貢獻、管理意涵、研究限制及未來研究方向。 / In modern society, employees are working longer hours than ever before. Therefore, finding meaning of work is important to employee today, and how to contribute to the perceived meaningfulness of work become a critical issue for every enterprise to face. This research model based on social information processing theory offers a theoretical approach for examining the causal effects of paternalistic leadership, a prevalent leadership style in Chinese business organizations, and the mediating role of work purpose and positive self-perceptions on subordinate meaningfulness of work. Using data form Taiwanese firms including 190 employees, results from structured equation modeling techniques supported partly our hypothesized model. Overall, this study supports and adds to the range of positive self-perceptions effects associated with paternalistic leadership and are suggestive of interventions that organizations can make to improve work meaningfulness of workers. Implications for the theory and practice of leadership are discussed.