Cybersecurity and the Multiple Dimensions of Meaningful Work

• Grant number: 24/16192-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Administration - Administration of Specific Sectors
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Alcadipani da Silveira
• Grantee: Rafael Alcadipani da Silveira
• Host Institution: Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (EAESP). Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alvaro Luiz Massad Martins ; Fernando Ressetti Pinheiro Marques Vianna ; Gustavo Matarazzo Rezende
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/03926-9 - Cybersecurity and the Multiple Dimensions of Meaningful Work, BP.TT

Abstract

Cybersecurity has emerged as one of the major concerns of contemporary society. Despite the importance of the subject, there is a significant shortage of qualified professionals in this area, both in Brazil and abroad. At the same time, little is known about the characteristics of these professionals. The issue of meaningful work-work that people perceive as purposeful and positively significant-has attracted the attention of management researchers as it is a fundamental human need. There is a dominant perception that technology diminishes the meaningfulness of work, increasing alienation, and some believe that technologies like AI may render human labor obsolete. Others argue that technology can create positive meanings in work and that purpose may emerge from the interaction between people and technology. This qualitative research seeks to understand how cybersecurity professionals find meaning in their daily tasks. The study aims to interview 90 professionals working in cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors to generate knowledge about these professionals, who operate in a field that is strategically important for the future. (AU)