Winner 2026 - Opening Access to Research on Meaningful Work and Motivation
Open Research objectives/practices
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Making the outputs of research freely available
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Using open collaborative methods and tools
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Promoting and facilitating Open Research and Education practices
Introduction
In May 2026, Springer Nature published the open-access volume *Work Meaning and Motivation: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Work Well-being*, which I edited. The book brings together leading scholars from economics, psychology, sociology, organizational behavior, entrepreneurship, and related disciplines to examine the causes, consequences, and mechanisms of meaningful work and work motivation.
The volume emerged from a hybrid interdisciplinary workshop held in 2025 with support from NWO Open Science NL. The workshop brought together chapter authors and external participants from multiple disciplines to discuss draft chapters, exchange ideas, and provide feedback. This open and collaborative process strengthened interdisciplinary dialogue and improved the quality of the contributions.
The project was further supported by an Accelerator Grant from the Faculty of Economics and Business (€3,000) and the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Open Access Books Fund (€10,000), which enabled the volume to be published fully open access. As a result, researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, and interested members of the public can access the entire book free of charge worldwide.
The volume addresses questions that have become increasingly important in the context of technological change, automation, labor shortages, changing career expectations, and growing concerns about worker well-being. Within its first month after publication, the bookrecorded 4,719 accesses, demonstrating substantial international interest and rapid dissemination beyond traditionalacademic audiences.
Motivation
Research on meaningful work and motivation spans multiple disciplines, including economics, psychology, sociology, organizational behavior, and entrepreneurship. Yet scholars often work within disciplinary boundaries, limiting opportunities for exchange and synthesis. A key motivation behind this project was therefore to create an open platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and make the resulting knowledge freely available to a broad audience.
With support from NWO Open Science NL, I organized a hybrid interdisciplinary workshop in 2025 that brought together chapter authors and external participants from different fields. The workshop was open to participants beyond the project team and provided a forum for discussing draft chapters, exchanging ideas, and receiving feedback from researchers with diverse perspectives. This open and collaborative process improved the quality of the contributions, strengthened interdisciplinary connections, and broadened participation in the development of the volume.
The resulting book was published fully open access by Springer Nature, ensuring that researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, and interested members of the public can access the latest research on meaningful work and motivation without financial barriers. Open access is particularly important for scholars and institutions with limited access to subscription-based resources, allowing them to engage with and build on current research.
The project demonstrates how openness can strengthen both the research process and the dissemination of research outputs. The workshop fostered interdisciplinary exchange and collaborative knowledge creation, while the open-access publication ensured global accessibility. The volume achieved 4,719 accesse within its first month of publication, suggesting substantial interest in openly available research on work and well-being. By combining open collaboration with open dissemination, the project contributes to ongoing debates about the future of work and supports research, teaching, and evidence-based policymaking.
URLs, references and further information
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Link to NWO's announcement: https://www.nwo.nl/en/projects/ioelc74286