Impact of Work Meaning on Work Performance: A Research on Education Managers

Abstract

Purpose – The relationship between meaning and performance at work has become even more important in extraordinary times such as the pandemic. In this study, the effect of the meaning of work on work performance was tried to be determined. Design/methodology/approach – In the model prepared in accordance with the purpose of the research, 3 sub-dimensions of the meaning of work (positive meaning of work, creating meaning from work, the goodness of the majority), which are independent variables, and 2 sub-dimensions of work performance as a dependent variable (task performance and contextual and performance) were considered. 211 education managers working in primary and secondary public schools in Isparta province participated in the study. The survey method, which is a quantitative data collection tool, was used in the research. The structural validity of the scales used in the study was obtained from the analyses performed as a result of the Amos 22.0 package program. Findings – In the correlation analysis performed between the dimensions of the variables, it was observed that there were moderate, positive relations between the variables and all of the sub-dimensions. The greatest impact of job meaning and dimensions on job performance dimensions was on contextual performance. It can also be inferred that the positive and high level of impact of the meaning of work on contextual performance basically means that teachers and education managers impose deeper meanings on their work, rather than from a professional point of view. Discussion – The results of the research show that the meaning attributed to the job in terms of employees makes it possible to establish a meaningful working relationship between the employee and the job. Therefore, it becomes important to understand the job correctly for employees. Human resources units also need to determine and implement the right strategies in the context of establishing meaningful relationships between the job and the employee.