The Meaning of Work. A Semiotic Perspective for a Cross Cultural Analysis

Objective: to compare the meaning of work for three different samples of people working in private companies and in the public sector in one hand, and living in two different countries: Argentina and the Canary Islands.

Methodology: original semiotics-based methodology

Findings: most of the variables that were ranked in the top three average results match in all three samples; Canarians and Argentineans have a different perspective about the State’s role; Canarian workers prefer social relationships over economic and security aspects while Argentineans prefer job stability due to a job insecurity context in the country.

Value Added: the new methodology helps in organizing thought using abductive logic. It helps understanding the meaning of complex phenomena.

Recommendations: it may be useful for managers and researchers in the area of Management for creating creative answers and solutions through the analysis of facts.