The Power of Intrinsic Motivation
How to Make Work Meaningful
Purpose | Autonomy | Mastery
Workers who understand how their job is connected to a larger mission or purpose tend to be much more motivated than those who feel no such connection. In this sense, government agencies have a significant advantage over profit-driven organizations because many government employees are drawn to public service by a desire to make a difference in the world. Connecting people to the mission does not happen on its own, however; managers need to keep their people focused on--and connected to--that larger mission. The page has resources to help managers learn to connect their employees to the mission as well as guidance to help all of us tap into our own public service motivation.
Articles
- Employee Engagement: Making a Difference, by Adam Grant
A Wharton Nano Tool for Leaders ® (check out the app!); designed to help employees gain a clearer understanding of how their work impacts others. From Wharton Executive Education and Wharton's Center for Leadership and Change Management.
- Creating Line of Sight, by Russ Linden
Terrific article about how to connect seemingly menial tasks to an inspiring mission.
- What Makes Work Meaningful -- Or Meaningless, by Catherine Bailey and Adrian Madden
Superb article from The Sloane Management Review outlining the key factors that give work meaning -- and seven things managers do to make their employees feel that same work is meaningless.
- Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization, by Robert E. Quinn and Anjan V. Thakor
Insightful article from the Harvard Business Review.
- Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life, by Adm. Hyman Rickover
Inspiring speech Admiral Rickover (1900-86) gave in 1977 about purpose and perseverance.
- The Toughtest Choices a Leader Must Make, by Ray Blunt
There are a few specific decisions you must make that will have a major impact on your effectiveness as a leader.
- Always Start with Purpose, by Bob Behn
Even the Israelis and Palestinians can work together when they have a shared purpose.
- Two Leaders--Two Legacies, by Ray Blunt
Contrasts the leadership of Thomas Jefferson and William Wilberforce.
- On a Mission, by Ray Blunt
On the importance of finding your true purpose in life.
- Life Mission Statement Worksheet
Write a Life Mission Statement.
- Motivated by the Organization's Mission or Their Career?: Implications for Leaders in Turbulent Times
Interesting report by the Center for Creative Leadership about motivating employees who are mission-focused versus career-focused.
- The Roles of Feedback, Autonomy, and Meaningfulness in Employee Performance Behaviors
This excellent study by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MPSB) demonstrates how effective feedback can help employees feel connected to the mission of their agency.
Books
Living, Leading, and the American Dream
John Gardner had a distinguished career as a leader in both government and civil society. He wrote widely about leadership and public service. Living, Leading and the American Dream is a compilation of many of his most inspiring writings about public service motivation. Includes essays on commitment and meaning, personal renewal, creativity, building and leading communities, and the link between motivation and talent. Read More...
Seeing Is Believing: How the New Art of Visual Management Can Boost Performance Throughout Your Organization
In Seeing is Believing, Stewart Liff and Pamela Posey explain “visual management,” a system that uses visual props and cues to help connect employees to the mission and the values of the organization. It can also keep them focused on performance targets and their progress in achieving goals. Includes many photos, examples, and case studies (many are from Liff's career as a Senior Executive at the Veterans Administration) that can give managers ideas on how to implement a visual management system. The system is intuitive and in some ways seems like common sense--but it’s surprisingly hard to do well in practice. Read More...
Man's Search for Meaning
This classic work provides a grim account of the more than three years that Viktor Frankl spent in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Dachau. A trained psychoanalyst, Frankl became a keen observer of why some prisoners maintained the will to live when others simply gave up. He found that those who had clarity about what they had to live for were far more likely to have the resilience needed to survive. One of the most influential books of the 20th Century. Read more...
Crossed Lives--Crossed Purposes
Hero for Humanity: A Biography of William Wilberforce
One of the most brilliant British politicians of his era, William Wilberforce set aside personal ambition early in his career in order to pursue two goals: the abolition of the slave trade and the "reformation of manners." In 1807, following a 20-year struggle, Wilberforce won approval for legislation banning the slave trade in the British Empire. His efforts to end the slave trade were the subject of the 2006 movie Amazing Grace. Wilberforce is also widely credited with bringing about the "reformation of manners" that characterized the morality, attitudes, and social philanthropy of the Victorian era. A deeply religious man, Wilberforce demonstrated how one individual with tremendous talent, moral courage, and perseverance can bring about major change. Read More...Video
Dr. Robert Quinn: How to Lead a Purpose-Driven Life
Viktor Frankl: Search for Meaning