Milena Nikolova publishes open access book on work meaning and motivation

Professor Milena Nikolova has published the open access book ‘Work Meaning and Motivation’. The book is edited by Nikolova and contains chapters by experts from various disciplines, including a contribution from Professor Jessica de Bloom and her team. The book integrates organizational behavior, sociology, economics, psychology, and entrepreneurship to provide a multi-faceted view on work well-being.

Nikolova’s edited volume presents an interdisciplinary perspective on the study of well-being at work. It probes two central themes: the causes and consequences of work meaningfulness and work motivations, and their implications for workers and organizations. The book comprehensively explores why people find meaning in their work, what motivates them to work, and how this perception shapes individual, organizational, and economic outcomes. The respective chapters investigate how these central topics manifest in various contexts, from psychological and organizational frameworks to the impact of economic theories and technological change, offering new perspectives on the interplay between work, individual fulfillment, and societal development. Nikolova: “I am very thankful to all of the authors for joining this interdisciplinary effort and their openness to learning from one another. It’s a great joy and privilege to have edited this book and contributed a chapter to it.”

The edited volume – which is published Open Access by Springer Nature – ­shares the newest insights and summaries of state-of-the-art research on meaningful work and work orientations, raising pivotal questions and providing informed answers that will shape future studies and practices. In 2024, Nikolova received an acceleration grant from the faculty board of the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), which – together with additional funding from the NWO – enabled her to create this open access book. Acceleration grants are awarded to research projects that are promising, but need additional resources to reach their full potential impact.

About the editor

Milena Nikolova is a Professor of Economics of Well-being at FEB. Her research currently centers on the consequences of technological change for labor markets and well-being.  Apart from her position at FEB, she is a non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Fellow at the Global Labor Organization. Nikolova holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Maryland, College Park (2014). Since 2022, she is also an editor of the Journal of Population Economics.

Nikolova, M. (Ed.). (2026). Work Meaning and Motivation: Interdisciplinary perspectives on work well-being. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-23826-9