Importance of Comfort Dimension in Work LO13220

Harrow, Stuart C. (bvc2206@dcrb.dla.mil)
Mon, 14 Apr 1997 10:15:00 -0400

Replying to Meaning of Work? LO13186 JULIEN Denyse <JULIEN@imd.ch>

A study on "The Meaning and Motivation of Work into the next Millennium"
was conducted by the International Institute for Management Development
(IMD). IMD is a business school in Switzerland that specialises in
executive education.

Question 2.
We developed four dimensions of work Economic, Expressive, Learning and
Comfort, and measured their importance now and in the future. The comfort
dimension which includes issues relating to working hours and good
physical working conditions, was the only dimension that increased in the
future.
Any thoughts about this finding????
--- end of quote from prev msg ---

This finding is somewhat consistent with your finding that the level of
centrality of work seems to be decreasing in your sample's lives. If work
is something that must be tolerated, let it at least be borne in a
pleasing physical environment.

However, there is one differrence that I think is significant. Work
continues to be a predominant social institution. Whether people are
forced to work by economic necessity; whether they tolerate work as a
means of achieving the economic means to pursue other ventures, or whether
they seek work as a means of psychological and emotional fulfilment.

And I think that the centrality of work as a social institution,
specifically because we must spend our time here, is the avenue we could
pursue in improving our organizations.

As educators, consultants, managers, workers and executives, our role as
both participants and shapers of the "Work Society" is becoming
increasingly inescapable.

Stuart Harrow
Defense Contract Management Command Long Island
Long Island, New York (USA)

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"Harrow, Stuart C." <bvc2206@dcrb.dla.mil>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>