Ten years later: changes in the meaning of work among Polish managers

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether the indices of the meaning of work (MOW) change over time. The study sample included mid-level managers, with measurements taken twice, in 2006/2007 and in 2017/2018. Design/methodology/approach This survey-based study was conducted in Poland, a country that went through significant socio-economic transformations in the past decade. The MOW instrument, developed by the MOW international research group, was used to measure absolute and relative work centrality, societal norms regarding work, valued work outcomes and the importance of various work goals. The hierarchical regression analysis method was used for hypotheses testing. Findings The study results show that there were no statistically significant changes in either absolute or relative work centrality over the studied decade. The family remained the highest-ranked value, ahead of work and leisure held the third place. The role of religion and community has remained largely unchanged, with these domains ranked significantly lower compared to work, family and leisure. An important finding was that the preference for job stability has significantly increased in the studied decade. At the same time, there was a marked growth in preference for flexible and convenient work hours. The study concludes with implications for future research and for human resource development (HRD) practice. Originality/value The study makes an important contribution to the MOW and HRD literature by demonstrating that the main indices of MOW, as measured by the MOW instrument, tend to remain unchanged despite socio-economic changes in the society.