does individual outcomes mediate relationship between meaningful and organizational outcome?

Research Proposal: Does Individual Outcome Mediate the Relationship between Meaningful Work and Organizational Outcome
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Introduction
Meaningful and demanding experiences at work have become ever more significant to individuals in the previous few decades (Kettenbohrer, Eckhardt & Beimborn, 2015). Individuals or employees working in any firm or an organization setting consider works that are more exciting, produce feelings of achievement, encourage helpfulness and enhance employees’ lives to be vital in accomplishing meaningful work (Mone, & London, 2014). In essence, autonomy, satisfaction, fulfillment, engagement, learning and working relation have been recognized as central in meaningful work. Essentially, previous studies have focused more on the relationship between the organization and meaningful work ignoring the mediating factors that are associated with this relationship. As a result, the studies have not managed to conclusively understand the relationship and reasons for positive or negative outcomes of an organization; the factors that influence or mediate this relationship. Considering the changing working environments and the fact that workers are becoming more educated (Anitha, 2014), it is important to study the role they play in the overall outcome of the organization and how the concept of meaningful work contributes to their roles in organizations. Most importantly, the attention to meaningful work is accompanied by positive people and consequences relating to organizational outcomes with regard to work.

The above assertions and facts underline the necessity for an investigation into the connection between organizational outcome and meaningful work. As such, this study shall investigate whether individual outcomes mediate the connection between organizational outcomes and meaningful work.
Background of the Study
There has been an increase in studies and research into engagement, meaningfulness, and commitment at the workplaces (Anitha, 2014). This increase in the interest of the workers may be as a result of the recent workers being more educated than the past workers and often questioning the environment and implications with regard to their work. Since workers spend several hours at their workplaces, it turns out to be an environment and setting in which they connect and engage in goal-orientated actions that intend to discover meaning (Shirom, 2015). Also, recent assertions imply that monetary consideration is losing its influence as a type of motivation to individuals and employees as motivations are slowly shifting to self-attitude and the desires of the employees or workers. In essence, the trend in connection with the correlation between individual the organizations’ outcome and meaningful work has been continually gaining interest from different fields of research as studies aim to establish the relationship between these two phenomena. In fact, the fact that money is not a motivation anymore in the work setting and individuals have come to identify themselves and be communally identified by the work they do has led to many questions being asked with regards to this relationship (Saks & Gruman, 2014). Also, meaningful work is gaining increased awareness and consideration in the organizational behavior and management research studies. The organizational behavior and management are majorly focused on individual outcomes. In this regard, examining whether individual outcomes in an organization setting mediate or have effects on the connection between organizational outcomes and meaningful work is important and the focus of the research. As such, this study seeks to determine whether individual outcomes in an organization setting acts as mediating factors on the connection between the general outcome of an organization and meaningful work.
Research Problem
Studies in the past have focused more on the organizational outcome and how it relates to the meaningful work performed by the workers and employees. In this regard, the mediating factors of this relationship have significantly been ignored by the various studies. As such, it is important to examine the role individual outcomes play in this relations and whether the individual outcomes mediate between meaningful work and organizational outcome by defining this relationship. Thus, this study seeks to examine and establish the connection between individual outcome and the organizational outcome as well as meaningfulness in a work setting. In essence, the study seeks to explore and examine whether individual outcome acts as a mediating factor in the relationship between meaningful work and organizational outcome.
Research Questions
This study seeks to establish:
Whether there is a relationship between individual outcomes in an organizational setting, meaningful work of the individual employees and the organizational outcomes;
To what extent do individual outcomes determine the meaningful work and organizational outcomes in an organizational setting; and
Whether individual outcomes act as the real mediating factor in the connection between organizational outcomes and meaningful work.
Research Aims and Objectives
This study aims to:
Determine whether individual outcomes in an organizational setting mediate relationship between meaningful work and organizational outcomes; and
Establish the connection between the general outcomes and meaningful work in an organization and the influence they have on individual workers and employees.
Literature Review
Recent research studies have laid much focus on the relationships that exist in the workplace. This has mainly been influenced by the recent trends in the transformation of the workers’ attitudes in the workplace as well as their motivations (Burger, Crous & Roodt, 2013). Being that money is not a motivation anymore in the workplaces, current research focuses more on establishing or unveiling the real motivating factors in the work place. Previous researches have, however, focused on how these factors relate to the general outcome of the organizations thereby signifying that most workers rank meaningfulness and significance as a more appreciated job result than most outdoor rewards. In fact, as attitudes in the workplaces and employment shift, there is much evidence to imply that workers today desire different results as compared to the employees and workers from the previous generations and that organizational meaningful work is rising as one of the most appreciated job results that individuals and workers expect from employment and work areas.
Particularly, several research studies have focused on this relationship. According to Geldenhuys, Laba & Venter, (2014), there exists a close relationship between, organizational commitment, work engagement and psychological meaningfulness. This research was aimed at investigating the connection between organizational commitment, work engagement, and psychological meaningfulness by testing for a potential mediating outcome of the engagement at the workplaces on the connection between organizational commitment as well as psychological meaningfulness. This investigation established the relationship between these phenomena and organizational commitment highly relies on psychological meaningfulness. Also, a recent study carried out by a consulting firm stated that the meaningfulness as an experience in the workplace is not only important to workers but that practiced meaningful work by workers can also give significance to the organization. The study accomplished that meaningful work is the basis for workers’ commitment in organizations referring to the scope in which workers are devoted and involved in the work they do (Steger, Et.al, 2013).
Even though meaningful work is important to both the employer and the employee, the subject has only lately received substantial attention in the organization behavior and management (Kettenbohrer, Eckhardt & Beimborn, 2015). The subject has been incorporated into models of work empowerment and design for some time. However, studies are giving better attention to exploring the connection of meaningful work in an effort to recognize the experiences and consequences associated with these relationships. For instance, Berg, Dutton, & Wrzesniewski, (2013) carried out a study to establish the underlying logistics that are associated with relationships and the consequences of the relationship. According to his finding, the relationship depends on the type of environment in the work places. The organization needs to come up with a favorable and bearable work environment that will enable the workers to explore their potential. As such, the workers can achieve meaningful work in the work setting thereby increasing productivity and the overall outcome of the organization.
In another study, Shuck, Reio & Rocco, (2016) indicates that the intent to exit or leave a work place or an organization is directly linked to meaningful work. In his study, Scroggins sort to establish the connection between meaningful work and the exit of a work place by examining an individual-job fit approach to workers’ meaningful work and found out that there is proof to show the necessity of intensifying the subject of an individual-job fit so as to ensure maximum results and achieve the goals and objectives of the organization.
In essence, the previous studies focus more on the organizational outcome and how it relates to the meaningful work performed by the workers and employees. In this regard, the mediating factors of this relationship have significantly been ignored by the various studies. As aforementioned, with the changing environment in the workplaces, the attitudes of the employees and the workers have become more important in ensuring a positive or negative outcome in an organization. Thus, being that the previous studies have not laid focus the role plaid by the employees and the worker’s attitude and hard work, this study is, therefore, significant since it focuses on the role played by the employees and the workers with regard to the overall outcome of the organizations. Further, with the current trend in the competition between different organizations in the market, strategies, and motivating factors should be used to ensure the maximum efforts are put by the employees and the workers who make them an important part of the organizations’ outcomes. As such, it is important to examine the role individual outcomes play in this relations and whether the individual outcomes mediate between meaningful work and organizational outcome by defining this relationship.
Research Framework
In this study, the focus is to investigate the role individual employees and workers play in mediating the relationship between meaningful work and organizational outcomes. Basically, the study seeks to investigate the experiences of the employees in different organizations and their motivations in the workplaces. Being that the employees and workers are an important part of an organization with regard to organizations’ outcomes, the study shall focus more on their contribution to the overall outcome of the organization. The concept and structure of any organization suggest that the employees and the workers are in the center of all the activities in an organization and their outcomes directly affect the outcome of an organization. Thus, their experiences and contributions directly are significant in the overall outcome of the organization. As such, the study seeks to find the balance between these three phenomena to ascertain if the outcomes of the employees act as a mediating factor in the relationship between the organization outcome and meaningful work.
Methodology
Research Method
The research shall employ the use of interviews by providing the sample population with questionnaires and recording their responses in a table form for the purposes of analysis. The survey questionnaires shall be distributed physically as telephone interviews are not allowed in most institutions.
Research Approach
This study shall employ a quantitative approach to collect the data for the study. Through the responses in the questionnaires, the data collected shall be analyzed quantitatively with the responses of the employees in the chosen organizations recorded numerically.
Research design
A cross-sectional survey design shall be utilized as the research design. Essentially, the research shall focus on the managerial level employees in 5-10 public Universities. In the Universities, the number of employees to be interviewed shall be between 25 and 50 chosen randomly from the public Universities. For the results analysis, a quantitative analysis method shall be utilized with the information taken from the questionnaire. Further, the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) shall be utilized in the data analysis to come up with logical conclusions.
Research Strategy
With the questionnaires distributed among the targeted population, the questions asked shall be direct and shall require the interviewee to talk about his or her experience in the work place as well as the motivations at the workplace and her account and definition of meaningful work. Also, the questionnaire shall require the respondent to narrate her or his relationship with the organization’s management. From the responses, the data shall be recorded and analyzed through various data analysis mechanisms stated above.
Population of the Study
The study shall focus on the managerial level employees in the targeted public Universities. The questionnaires shall be served categorically to the employees, and they shall be directed on what is required for the study.
Sample of the Study
The sample shall be chosen randomly from 5 to 10 public Universities to ensure that all universities are granted equal opportunity and have the same likelihood of being preferred for the research or study.
Sampling Method
The study shall employ random sampling in the selection of other respondents, in this case, the employees at the Universities. This method is unbiased as it picks the groups of the correspondents at random without regards to any of the selection factors.
Data Analysis
Since this is a quantitative research, SPSS technique of data analysis shall be employed for a more logical conclusion. This technique is a fairly popular techniques used in data analysis in most quantitative research studies as it is fairly efficient and it applies logic to any data it is presented with.
References
Anitha, J. (2014). Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
Berg, J. M., Dutton, J. E., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2013). Job crafting and meaningful work. Purpose and meaning in the workplace, 81-104.
Burger, D. H., Crous, F., & Roodt, G. (2013). Exploring a model for finding meaning in the changing world of work (Part 3: Meaning as framing context). SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 39(2), 01-10.
Geldenhuys, M., Laba, K., & Venter, C. M. (2014). Meaningful work, work engagement and organisational commitment. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 40(1), 01-10.
Kettenbohrer, J., Eckhardt, A., & Beimborn, D. (2015). A Theoretical Perspective on Meaningfulness of Work and the Success of Business Process Standardization Initiatives. In Wirtschaftsinformatik (pp. 542-556).
Mone, E. M., & London, M. (2014). Employee engagement through effective performance management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge.
Saks, A. M., & Gruman, J. A. (2014). What do we really know about employee engagement?. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 25(2), 155-182.
Shuck, B., Reio Jr, T. G., & Rocco, T. S. (2016). Employee engagement: An examination of antecedent and outcome variables. Human resource development international, 14(4), 427-445.
Shirom, A. (2015). Feeling vigorous at work? The construct of vigor and the study of positive affect in organizations. Research in organizational stress and well-being, 3, 135-165.
Steger, M. F., Littman-Ovadia, H., Miller, M., Menger, L., & Rothmann, S. (2013). Engaging in work even when it is meaningless: Positive affective disposition and meaningful work interact in relation to work engagement. Journal of Career Assessment, 1069072712471517.