Organizations that create an authentic purpose – one that intersects with business interests and guides decisions at all levels – have people who bring their smarts and energy to work every day. When they feel connected to a purpose, people try new things, take risks, and contribute to their organizations in new and valuable ways, according to professors Robert E. Quinn and Anjan V. Thakor. But, unfortunately, too few executives take the time to focus on purpose, Quinn and Thakor say.
“Many executives avoid working on their firms’ purpose. Why? Because it defies what they have learned in business school and, perhaps, in subsequent experience: that work is fundamentally contractual, and employees will seek to minimize personal costs and effort,” Quinn and Thakor write. “When managers view employees this way, they create the very problems they expect. Employees choose to respond primarily to the incentives outlined in their contracts and the controls imposed on them. Consequently, they not only fail to see opportunities but also experience conflict, resist feedback, underperform, and personally stagnate.”
In this Harvard Business Review article, Quinn and Thakor offer up an eight-step framework for managers to break this cycle and embrace a purpose that the entire organization can support. It’s more than just a lofty idea, they say. “People who find meaning in their work don’t hoard their energy and dedication. They give them freely, defying conventional economic assumptions about self-interest. They grow rather than stagnate. They do more – and they do it better.”
Read the article to learn more.
