International perspectives on the meanings of work and working: Current research and theory

The problem and the solution. This article situates the topic of the meaning of work and working in the broader context of social science research and theory and develops a rationale for its importance for the theory and practice of human resource development. Some of the themes, anchoring the content of the following articles, are related to issues of levels of analysis in the research on meaning of working; the need for the integration of different disciplinary traditions (historical, sociological, psychological, economic); the dangers of assuming an overly individualistic position on the subject; the role of meaning of working research in understanding the issues of self-identity; and crises of meaning of working arising from unemployment, lay-offs, and growing poverty around the world.