Published on: November 10, 2026 at 12:15 pm
In the face of disruptions in various industries, many people have been forced to rethink their jobs and career plans. But what really motivates workers?
According to Academy of Management Scholar Christine Moser of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, it is common for people to measure their career success by setting goals and tracking how well they are able to achieve them. An increasing number of people are prioritizing sustainability and corporate social responsibility objectives—making a positive impact or difference on the world—over financial renumeration.
“In many different fields of science, but for sure in management science, we increasingly talk about impact—what is the impact of our work?” Moser said. “With your work, be it science, education, or other activities that you do as a scientist, how can you actually make a change for the better?
“It can be whatever you think is better, but the tendency is to try and make things actually better so that they might be sustainable in the future,” she said. “And with sustainable, I don’t only mean environmentally sustainable, but also socially sustainable—something that contributes to our being able to live in reasonable well-being in the years to come.”
Organizations and management scholars are focusing on the intersection of well-being and sustainability.
“We see that in my profession, many junior scholars are increasingly interested in that,” Moser said. “They are less interested than they used to be in making a lot of money in lucrative careers, but they are more interested in the question, ‘How can I make this change for the better in a way that demonstrates that I care about the future?’ and this is what I would recommend to students and professionals alike.
“Think about how, in your own way, you can make a change for the better—what does ‘better’ actually mean?” she said. “Maybe it means more than just having a huge income that enables you to have a big car and a big house.
“Maybe ‘better’ means something meaningful for your community, for your environment, for your kids, if you have kids, for your family, for the city you live in, for your country, or for your immediate social circle in ways that might be sustained into the future and help us heal again as a society and stick together in better ways—that’s what I would recommend to people.”
