In the research seminar held on May 18, 2022, Dr. Kim-Lim Tan started his talk by asking the audience (comprising staff and student from DBM, DCC and ACE) one question “Is your work meaningful?” Dr Tan highlighted that while this question is not new, it has gained more important recently especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are asking themselves on the value of work that it brings to them. The topic on “meaningful work” is also getting prominence in human resources and organizational behavior research.

Dr. Kim-Lim Tan introduced the background of meaningful work

To understand this topic better, Dr Tan and his team conducted a systematic literature review over a period of 20 years (2000-2020). The purpose is to identify the dominant research directions over the last 20 years, the causes and effects, as well as highlighting the research gaps that future researchers could work on. Based on the research, he highlighted three key findings. First, there is no standard definition of what a “meaningful work” is. Second, there are scant research done on “meaningful work” in the Africa nations. Third, the pursuit of meaning in work is not restrict to certain industries, but it cuts across occupational groups. On future research directions, he encouraged future researchers to focus on two aspects. One, analyzing outcomes of meaningful work at the organization level. Two, examining curvilinear relationships on the predictors and outcomes of meaningful work. The session concluded with exchanges of opinions on how the perspective of work could differ across life stages, age group and national culture.

Dr. Kim-Lim Tan talked about the distribution of sample groups

Dr. Kim-Lim Tan talked about the methodology

About Dr. Kim-Lim TAN:

Dr. Tan’s research interests lie primarily in contemporary issues such as on future of work, employee attitudes, and employee behaviors. He also investigates consumer behavior across different contexts such as technology adoption, hospitality management, and purchasing behavior. Dr. Tan publishes in different organizational behavior and consumer behavior journals including the British Food Journal, Employee Relations, Management Decision, and the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. He also sits on the editorial committee of the Asia Journal of Business Research, Journal of Global Responsibilities, and Journal of Responsible Tourism Management.