A model of circular work

<p dir="ltr">Purpose</p><p dir="ltr">An implicit tendency in management to view work as a one-directional linear process aimed at maximising work outputs risks treating the inputs used to achieve work goals as finite and depletable. These inputs are vital human resources that should be protected and nurtured. This article examines the nature and lifecycle of work resources in the work process, identifies resource regeneration as essential for sustainable work, and as a result proposes a model of circular work (CW).</p><p dir="ltr">Design/methodology/approach</p><p dir="ltr">Building on an evaluation of classical management theory, ideas from circular economy, and insights from management and from work and organisational psychology, we propose the concept of CW as a sustainable alternative to current understandings of work.</p><p dir="ltr">Findings</p><p dir="ltr">We build a cross-level model of CW that views work resources as renewable, describes how their depletion and loss can be avoided, and makes regeneration an essential condition for circularity, where the inputs used to produce work outputs are returned into the work process. CW is diametrically distinct from historical views about how work works and aligned with growing concerns around resource regeneration and sustainability. We outline four principles of CW and examine possible mechanisms through which work resources can be regenerated to prevent their depletion.</p><p dir="ltr">Practical implications</p><p dir="ltr">The notions of resource regeneration and circularity create avenues for designing and managing work in a more holistic and future-orientated way that protects work resources and is sustainable for individuals and organisations alike.</p><p dir="ltr">Originality/value</p><p dir="ltr">CW offers an alternative way to work design that reflects a concern about the lifecycle of resources in the process of work. We discuss implications for designing CW, advancing research and creating healthy, productive and sustainable work.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>