Our initial work in exploring these questions suggests that leadership impacts on meaning in several ways. First, leaders make architectural choices-how to structure the organization, design jobs, and allocate roles and responsibilities-that shape how people who work in the organization experience their jobs. Second, leaders engage in symbolic actions-through the stories they tell, the symbols and rituals they create, and other highly visible actions. The leader is both architect and visionary, and both roles impact on the meaning individuals experience through work.
We cannot yet conclusively say whether the architect or visionary role is most important in creating meaning for organizational members, but these are the types of activities we are studying.
Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge
Subjects: Leadership, Organizational Behavior
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