Research

The central aim of my research is to understand how people think about work. My interest in this topic stems from the observation that the meanings people ascribe to work—  as well as their expectations concerning what work ought to provide—  relate to their experience of work and personal well-being.  Most of my research is rooted in the symbolic interactionist tradition (Blumer, 1969), which holds that people act according to their subjective interpretation of the world.  Perceptions of work—  whether it is deemed drudgery or delight, a vehicle for money or meaningfulness, a chance to actualize the self or serve others —  shape how people relate to organizations in consequential ways. Because I am particularly interested in uncovering interpretative processes that occur within individuals and groups, I often employ ethnographic and interview methods in my research. Listening to people describe their relationship with work has taught me a great deal about the trials and triumphs that mark a person's life, and I have found much truth in the C.S. Lewis' quote: "There are no ordinary people."