The Meaning of Work in the Digital Era: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

As digital technologies continue to reshape the nature of work, their impact on workers' experience of the meaning of work has attracted growing scholarly interest. However, the existing body of findings remains largely fragmented and conceptually inconsistent. To address this gap, we conduct a systematic literature review and develop a process-oriented theoretical framework that explains how digital technologies influence the meaning of work. We show that digital technologies first trigger changes in work characteristics, such as autonomy, skill use, feedback, and the relational aspects. These changes then influence key meaning-making processes, including skill mastery and growth, personal value alignment, impact recognition, and the integration of societal values. We also highlight the active role of workers in navigating these changes through different coping strategies. Importantly, we identify a set of contextual factors, spanning societal, organizational, technological, and individual domains, that condition these dynamics. This integrative approach advances theoretical understanding of the meaning of work in the digital era and offers practical insights for human resource management by underscoring the importance of supporting worker adaptation and sustaining the meaning of work amid technological change.