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The meaning of work in Malaŵi
Author(s) -
Carr Stuart C.,
MacLachlan Malcolm,
Kachedwa Michael,
Kanyangale Macdonald
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1328(199711)9:7<899::aid-jid431>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - meaning (existential) , work (physics) , credence , sociology , variety (cybernetics) , workforce , public relations , political science , economic growth , economics , epistemology , mechanical engineering , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , artificial intelligence , computer science , engineering
Abstract Human resources are increasingly seen as vital to developing nations, but studies of work motivation remain focused on manager elites rather than the general workforce, and on motivation ‘at’ particular workplaces rather than the wider meaning ‘of’ work in societies at large. In an adaptation of Morse and Weiss's classic study on the meaning of work, one hundred Malaŵian workers from a variety of occupations were asked whether they would continue to work even if they were given enough money to retire comfortably. Sixty‐four per cent said that they would continue to stay at work, predominantly for reasons of security, while the wider meaning of work might entail the narrative typology of owning one's own business. The Western notion of need hierarchy may be irrelevant to Malaŵian workers, many of whom can never be certain of basic security, while the common sense of purpose in owning a small business gives credence to the policy of bottom up, community‐driven economic reform. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.