Harnessing Technology to Create Meaningful Work and Purposeful Organizations

Meaningful work is work that employees believe serves an important purpose. Engagement in work perceived to be meaningful has been shown to positively affect both personal and work-related outcomes. Previous industrial revolutions viewed employees as cogs in a machine, and it would be reasonable to assume that the digital revolution paves a further descent into alienation and anomie. But there may be ways of harnessing technology to create greater significance, self-realization, and purpose through work. This keynote explores the following question: How do we use digital technology to enhance meaningful work? Kate O’Neill and Vic Strecher discuss a vision of such a future -- from the C-Suite to the shop floor -- and how it is central to workplace health and well-being.