Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer explain in their book the Progress Principle, that it is forward progress in meaningful work that creates the best inner workplace experiences for employees (Amabile and Kramer, 2011). These researchers suggest that as long as employees themselves feel that they are contributing in a meaningful way, they feel happier at work. Leaders have a role to play by providing employees with the needed resources, the autonomy to work toward the goals of the organization, and by acknowledging the work that employees are doing is valued and important (Amabile and Kramer, 2011).
In this respect, Brower (2019) suggests that employees focus on “feeling connected to something bigger than themselves, knowing their work matters and, perhaps most importantly, understanding how their work affects other people—not just the organization’s bottom line.” Ask yourself first as a leader, how does your work matter, to whom does it matter and what is your impact? Then consider if employees are aware of the value they bring to the organization and how their work matters. Evaluate the communication strategies used to convey the organization’s vision and impact including, virtual townhalls to provide regular updates to employees and to solicit input, relevant newsletters, even ideation platforms to engage employees.
Providing employees with the opportunity to participate in and even lead innovation, allows employees to see the impact of their innovations, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for people. Engaging employees in innovation, provides employees with a voice in the implementation of the corporate strategy, increases a sense of connectivity to peers and even consumers, and increases the motivation to strive for excellence for themselves and for others. More than asking for ideas, when organizations follow through on employee ideas and communicate on actions taken, employees are more likely to participate and engage more with the organization-increasing then well-being at work (Hamill, 2019; Raskin, 2018). Hamill (2019) discusses that well-being can be defined as “feeling good and living with purpose”—that well-being fosters creativity and creativity in turn enhances well-being in a virtuous cycle. For organizations, creativity drives innovation and profitability. As a consequence, organizations need to view creativity and innovation as not only connected to employee well-being, but ultimately to the organization’s well-being. The opportunity to participate in innovative activities can be encouraged by leaders through space design, team design, and program design-where employees feel safe to experiment, share their knowledge, and learn from both success and failure.
Bringing purpose into the organization necessitates purpose-driven leadership. Purpose-driven leaders will commit to building human centered organizations driven by people. These leaders will exhibit empathy for people, value diversity of thought, and a possess a strong ability to connect to employees. Purpose-driven leaders will see their employees as a reflection and extension of the organization and themselves—realizing that just as they seek purpose, their employees need to and should be supported to find their purpose within the organization.
As a first step toward bringing purpose into the organization, try to re-connect with your own personal sense of purpose. This means:
Connecting back to your sources of deeper happiness.
Understanding the connection to your values and beliefs.
Reflecting on the social connections that matter.
Thinking about the impact of purpose on your health and well-being.
Leaning into your passions and interests to find your purpose.
Your Task: Having considered this at a personal level, how can you connect your employees to their purpose at work?
References:
Amabile T.M. and Kramer S., The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, Harvard Business School, 2011.
Brower, T. Want to Find Your Purpose At Work? Change Your Perceptions, Forbes, August 12 2019.
Hamill L., How Employee Well-Being Drives Innovation At Work, And How Leadership Can Foster It, Forbes, January 16, 2019.
Raskin S., How to Promote a Culture of Employee Engagement Through Innovation, Business 2 Community, October 25 2018.