Meaningful work is a topic of importance in core domains of human resource development (HRD) such as employee engagement, motivation, and personal development. However, there is little consensus over what comprises meaningful work or concerning the antecedent and outcome factors associated with meaningfulness. Prior theorizing has tended to conflate conceptual and empirical arguments, and hence, we lack clear insight into factors related to employees’ experience of meaningfulness. To address these gaps, we undertook an analysis of the empirical literature relating to meaningful work. In all, 71 studies met the inclusion criteria. We focused on the question, “What is the empirical evidence base concerning meaningful work, and how can this inform theory and practice in HRD?” The synthesis revealed dominant trends alongside significant gaps in understanding. We highlight the practical implications of our analysis for the HRD field and propose avenues for future research on meaningfulness within HRD.

中文翻译：

---

有意义的工作经验文献综述：进展与研究议程

有意义的工作是人力资源开发（HRD）核心领域的重要主题，例如员工敬业度，动力和个人发展。但是，关于什么是有意义的工作，或与有意义相关的先行因素和结果因素，人们几乎没有共识。先前的理论化倾向于将概念和经验论证混为一谈，因此，我们对与员工的有意义体验相关的因素缺乏清晰的见识。为了解决这些差距，我们对与有意义的工作有关的经验文献进行了分析。共有71项研究符合纳入标准。我们关注的问题是，“关于有意义的工作的经验证据基础是什么，以及如何为HRD的理论和实践提供信息？” 综合显示出主要趋势以及在理解上的重大差距。我们强调了我们的分析对HRD领域的实际意义，并为将来在HRD内进行有意义的研究提供了途径。