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Business Book Awards 2026 Shortlisted in Leadership category
In a world where over 70% of employees feel disengaged, how do we reignite passion and purpose at work?
Organizational purpose alone isn’t enough to drive results. If your employees aren’t finding personal meaning in their work, even the most inspiring mission statement will fall flat. Meaning Over Purpose is a grounded, step-by-step blueprint for CEOs to bridge this gap between inspiring ideals and daily reality.
Angela Rixon provides evidence-based strategies to close the Purpose-to-Meaning Gap™, the disconnect between what your company says and what your people actually feel. You’ll learn to embed the Five Pillars of Meaningful Work™ (Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose, Connection, and Impact) into your culture and operations, ensuring that purpose translates into tangible engagement.
Packed with real-world examples, frameworks, and metrics, this guide shows you how to align individual values with corporate goals, measure what truly matters, and build a high-performance culture fueled by meaning. The result? Retained talent, higher motivation, and sustainable growth. Meaning Over Purpose combines vision with execution, delivering a strategic blueprint that turns culture into a competitive advantage. Lead with meaning, and drive lasting engagement and performance at every level.
Angela Rixon, MSc, MBA, an executive coach, consultant, and speaker specializing in future-fit, meaning-led workplaces, has over 25 years of experience in technology and professional services. She is the Founder of the Centre for Meaningful Work, which offers meaning-led coaching and leadership programs to help organizations and employees transform the experience of work.
Foreword
Introduction: Understanding Meaning in the Workplace
PART 1 - WHY WORK NEEDS TO CHANGE
Chapter 1: The Shifting Landscape of Work
Chapter 2: Why your People Proposition is not Fit for Purpose
Chapter 3: Why Organizational Purpose is not enough for Meaningful Work
Chapter 4: The Business Case for Meaningful Work
PART 2 - A NEW DEAL - MEANINGFUL WORK TO UNLOCK ORGANISATION AND INDIVIDUAL POTENTIAL
Chapter 5: What is the New Deal?
Chapter 6: Engaging Employees Through Meaningful Work
Chapter 7: The Leadership Role in Cultivating Meaning
Chapter 8: Designing Meaningful Work Experiences industries to bring meaningful work in action to life.
PART 3 - IMPLEMENTING THE NEW DEAL
Chapter 9: Measuring and Evaluating Meaningfulness
Chapter 10: Overcoming Barriers to Meaningful Work
Chapter 11 - Roadmap for Success
Conclusion
Resource list
Appendices