How to make Purpose matter

In his book Drive, Dan Pink clarified the distinction between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and distilled the 3 primary drivers of intrinsic motivation, namely Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. In a nutshell: people doing knowledge work are more motivated, creative, and productive when they are personally engaged in what they are doing than when they are incentivized through cash rewards (assuming they are getting paid fairly in the first place).

This makes sense intuitively – just think of times when you have been most motivated and engaged in work or play. I’ll bet that in most cases you were doing something where you had complete control over why / how / what you were doing (Autonomy), were using / developing your signature strengths (Mastery), and felt good about the reason for doing it (Purpose).

All good so-far. But, the million dollar question (actually the energy, creativity, and productivity unleashed by genuinely engaged and motivated people is worth way more than that!) is: how do you make this real in large organizations? The full answer is complex, and beyond what can be written in a short social media posting. So, today let’s narrow the focus, and share some thoughts on the idea of Purpose.

The traditional approach to Purpose in large organizations is to develop a Purpose / Vision statement, communicate it widely, and then hope that people get excited about it. These statements are often themed around “being the best” at whatever,  and usually leave people cold. Even when the Executive team gets the notion of people wanting to contribute to something bigger, and themes the statement around “making a difference”, many people are still unimpressed. So, what’s going on here?

The way in which the statement is developed and communicated is obviously a factor - but that’s a discussion for another day. Getting back to the purpose statement itself, the reality is that many people struggle to make the link between what they do on a day-to-day basis and the bigger purpose of the organization. In addition, Purpose is multi-faceted and unique to each individual. So, it is naïve to expect thousands of people to rally behind a single statement of purpose. To make it real, we need to take a broader perspective on Purpose, and think of Purposeful work at a number of different levels.

1. Work that supports personal goals and life direction. After the immediate need to earn a living and know that you have a job that is necessary and that you can do,  people then get motivated by knowing that the job they are doing allows them to develop their interests and/or supports their desired career direction (this also links to Mastery). As examples, think of the car mechanic who loves tinkering with antique cars on weekends or the software developer who loves developing new Apps.
2. Work that provides a space for meaningful and friendly relationships. Almost without exception, people are social beings. We need to be part of a social group and make regular connections with other people (yes, including the introverts – they just do it in different ways to the extraverts). A work place that provides a close and supportive environment (and / or teams) is worth getting up in the morning for. As examples, think of the close-knit restaurant kitchen crew or the cheerful administration team.
3. Work that connects to professional interest and pride. Knowledge workers often have a stronger affinity to their professional identity than they do to the company at which they work. So, by providing a context for people to actualize their professional identity and ambitions, we allow them to feel good about the technical work they are doing for the organization. As an example, think of the software engineer who loves her field of work, and will happily contract to various companies. She will then work with energy and enthusiasm no matter which company she is working for.
4. Work that connects to something bigger and allows helping others. This is where people actually relate to the bigger organizational Purpose / Vision / Values (e.g. helping the country thrive or making an impact on the world) and can connect what they do on a day-to-day basis to this bigger picture. It may also include people making the link between how their work helps others in the organization or the organizations customers.  As examples, think of the medical research team working on a cure for a disease or the software developers at a bank who realize how their work impacts (either positively or negatively) the experience of both workers and customers on the frontline.

So, if you would like the people at your company or team to be more motivated and purposeful in their work (and more happy) don’t shove a glossy Purpose / Vision statement in front of them. Rather create a space where they can reflect on their work, as individuals and as a group, through the four perspectives on Purpose above. They can then decide what really matters to each of them, and start developing a genuine and personal connection to their work. This may start as a one-off team exercise, but beyond that people should be encouraged to regularly reflect on how purposeful their work is, and what they can do to make it more purposeful on an ongoing basis. This may include reinforcing the link between personal and work Purpose through storytelling and celebrations.

This was a guest post by Ashley Leibowitz. Ashley works in the realms of culture, leadership and change at Standard Bank. He has extensive experience in corporate and consulting environments; and Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and is the proud owner of a MBA.