Kiera Jacobs
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Elizabeth Trinh
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Management and Organizations / Business
Program: UROP
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Authors: Kiera Jacobs, Elizabeth Trinh
Abstract
The goal of this research is to find meaning and purpose in the workplace and how this meaning affects how people experience their work. We are overall exploring leadership, power, status, dominance, meaning, and purpose in terms of the workplace, specifically in the nonprofit sector. We are trying to answer the question of what makes work significant and fulfilling for different people, how the meaning that people find in their work shapes their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, and how leaders can use their power, influence, and authority in order to influence their employees. The main methodology of this research was conducting interviews of leaders in the nonprofit sector and analyzing quotes, coding for the use of the word burnout, from these interviews. Overall, I interviewed 14 nonprofit leaders virtually, the majority being white, with 9 being female and the other 5 being male, from various backgrounds in the nonprofit sector. We hypothesized that we will find that many employees do find their work to be meaningful, but with that they experience a lot of burnout and overworking across the sector. These findings will show the need for improvement in terms of burnout and leadership in the workplace across various organizations/companies. Additionally, we will gain knowledge about how to improve workplace dynamics, including leadership and communication between different levels. This research will seek to benefit any individual who has a job in a workplace, from high ranking executives to low-level employees, overall improving communication in their workplace, increasing organizational performance, and helping each employee find meaning in their work.
