Work to survive or to contribute?

Work is where efforts are put to serve a purpose. It means different things for different people. Some view it as a means to survive and meet the basic needs. Others see it as something to fulfil a purpose and meaning.

With the industrial revolution in 1900s, the focus have been on organizing the work to increase the efficiency of work. As a result, we see the work divided into specific specializations and divisions. People handle job roles with specific job descriptions.

Thanks to Henry Ford, Fredric Taylor and other industrial practitioners who influenced the companies’ management to organize work in this manner. The benefits generated from this model are increased work efficiency, avoiding repetitive work, making the job tasks easily replaceable and of course to make the organization cost efficient.

While the work was successfully organized and managed, we see workers strive to search for meaning in their work. The young generation enter the workforce with enthusiasm and expectation to contribute and offer. The excellent performers do the work beleiving that work is not just work but is art.

When the work is micro-managed where the workers are supervised and guided closely, you will see the attitude of not caring. Workers would say things like: What is in this for me? Is this mentioned in my performance evaluation record? What will I get here? Just tell me what I need to do and I would follow it strictly.

Let’s not forget. It is not just the work that is being managed. But there are the workers with the passion and drive to offer purposeful work.

It is not just getting the work done but it is the quality of work and its long-term impact on the organization and the society.