In Pursuit of Meaningfulness in Work

"The biggest threat to the new forms of labour prevalent in the brave new world of consulting is not, I believe, the lack of money but the absence of humanity." (O’Mahoney, 2007, p. 300) While there have been many attempts to define and formalize the profession of management consulting, involving economic objectives, management and leadership theories, as well as role models and behavioural patterns, little attention has been given to the individual consultant’s expectations and needs as part of the profession. This qualitative research explores the consultant’s view of the profession against the backdrop of a framework for meaningfulness in work, enabling the individual’s pursuit of meaningful work as a constituent part of their life. Open and responsive interviews are used to explore the individual consultant’s purpose, expectations, motivations and tensions experienced in their daily work as management consultants, ultimately aiming to identify how humanism can contribute to their perception of meaningfulness in work.