By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: Burnout presents a significant challenge for organizations seeking to promote employee well-being and performance. However, traditional views often attribute burnout to individual weaknesses rather than systemic causes embedded within workplace conditions and culture. This article provides a foundation for shifting perspectives on burnout's antecedents by reviewing recent empirical studies on its defining characteristics and underlying workplace factors. Drawing from Maslach and Leiter's areas of worklife model, the brief examines how sustained imbalances across domains like workload, control, reward and values can fuel burnout over time. Practical applications are proposed for consultants and leaders to adopt a proactive, systems-oriented approach through activities like engagement surveys, open communication, values alignment and iterative cultural improvements. The goal is to foster organizational environments and conditions aligned with innate human needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness shown to sustain motivation and resilience in the long term.
As consultants and leaders, few things concern us more than the well-being and performance of our people. Yet in fast-paced, continually changing work environments, it’s all too common to see the signs of burnout emerging among even our most dedicated teams. When stress and exhaustion start to show, it’s natural to look for someone or something to blame. But the research tells us the causes usually lie deeper than any individual—they are systemic issues embedded within our organizational structures and cultures.
Today we will explore recent academic findings on workplace burnout and propose a framework for shifting our perspective from people to the conditions that shape their experiences. Through a lens of systems thinking rather than simple causality, we can better understand how environments themselves can become unsustainable over time. With care, thoughtfulness and ongoing refinement, leaders and consultants have opportunities daily to help build supportive cultures where people and performance thrive in balance.
Defining Burnout
Before delving into causes, it’s important to define what burnout actually is. The leading experts, Maslach and Leiter (1997), describe it as a psychological syndrome involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (treating people as objects), and reduced personal accomplishment that can occur among individuals working with other people. Emotional exhaustion refers to feeling drained and lacking energy, both physically and emotionally. Depersonalization involves developing cynical, callous attitudes towards one’s clients or customers. Reduced personal accomplishment involves feelings of ineffectiveness and lack of achievement in one’s work.
Burnout occurs when the demands of the job chronically outweigh the resources and support available, leading to prolonged distress. This distress is compounded by a long-term erosion of one's sense of competence, worth, and purpose at work over time (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). It is not an acute reaction to any single event but rather develops gradually as workplace stressors accumulate without adequate relief or recovery (Schaufeli et al., 2009).
Causes Embedded Within Organizations
Traditional views of burnout may attribute its causes to individual weaknesses like poor time management, an inability to set boundaries, or interpersonal conflicts (Söderfeldt et al., 1997). But the research consistently points to organizational and environmental factors as the primary drivers (Maslach & Leiter, 2016; Schaufeli et al., 2009). Burnout arises from prolonged or chronic workplace stress that saps people's energy and undermines their sense of effectiveness, contribution, and engagement over the long term.
Areas of Misfit
Specifically, Maslach and Leiter's (1997) areas of worklife model identifies six key domains where sustained "misfit" or imbalance between personal needs and job demands can fuel burnout:_ workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values._ When these areas are chronically out of alignment with what people need to do their work well and feel a sense of purpose, burnout is more likely to set in (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). Some examples:
Workload - Unrealistic expectations or an unsustainable pace that prevents adequate recovery between work cycles
Control - Lack of decision making latitude or input into one's tasks and priorities
Reward - Insufficient recognition, compensation or career growth for effort expended
Community - Breakdowns in team cohesion or social support from colleagues
Fairness - Inequitable treatment, unclear or inconsistent policies and procedures
Values - Conflicts between personal and organizational principles or mission
Rather than resulting from a "bad apple" coworker or manager, burnout emerges from deeper systematic shortcomings within these interrelating areas of worklife. It is the responsibility of leaders and organizations to be attentive to signs of imbalance and actively refine systems to better meet human needs.
Innate Needs Meet Organizational Realities
Understanding these root causes requires acknowledging some basic realities about human nature and organizations. Neuroscience research shows we have innate psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness that must be reasonably fulfilled through our work for well-being and peak motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Yet organizational imperatives like productivity, efficiency and profits don't always align smoothly with human needs over prolonged periods without adjustment (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).
Tensions are inevitable, but left unaddressed over time they can undermine engagement and resilience. Smart leaders proactively balance these realities through ongoing data collection within their organizational culture and systems (Harter et al., 2003). Rather than blaming individuals lacking some imagined ideal trait of inexhaustibility, effective consultants help clients monitor for signs of imbalance to make refinements beforeburnout takes hold. Sustainable initiatives focus on addressing root causes collectively rather than symptoms alone.
A systems perspective helps shift blame from people towards patterns of interaction that have become unsustainable. Adjustments targeting a single area (like workload alone) won't solve deeper misalignments across interdependent domains. Leaders have opportunities daily through small acts of care, listening, and equitable decision making to help foster workplace cultures aligned with human needs and potential over the long haul.
Practical Applications for Consultants and Leaders
With this foundation of research in mind, how can we apply these insights practically as consultants and leaders seeking to reduce burnout risks? Here are a few suggestions:
Conduct Regular Engagement Surveys
Collect both quantitative and qualitative employee feedback through periodic surveys to monitor for early signs of strain across Maslach and Leiter's areas of worklife. This data allows proactive, iterative improvements rather than reactive approaches only after problems arise. Focus on continual refinement rather than one-off initiatives.
Prioritize Workload Management and Control
Two of the most consistently cited antecedents are excessive workload demands without sufficient recovery time, and lack of influence or input into the nature of one's daily tasks and pace of work. Establish clear guidelines and encourage teams to periodically reassess role responsibilities and work methods.
Facilitate Open Communication and Community
Set aside time for undistracted listening, ensure multiple pathways for sharing feedback upwards, and support social bonds horizontally across units. Foster psychological safety to surface issues early before escalating. Well-led "stay interviews" can help identify small adjustments to improve experiences.
Model Consideration and Consistency in Decision Making
Leaders shape culture profoundly through both words and actions. Demonstrate equitable, two-way communication and transparent, thoughtful decision making to build trust across levels over time. Prioritize treating all people with care, dignity and understanding.
Connect Work to Higher Purpose and Values
Meaning at work depends on discerning purpose beyond tasks alone. Support teams regularly discussing impacts and optimizing contributions through a bigger-picture lens. Enlist all voices in crafting and evolving a purpose-driven vision that motivates effort as an affirming challenge rather than a depleting grind.
No single step guarantees success, but a holistic, systematic, continuous improvement mindset allows responsive rebalancing over time. Consultants can guide this proactive, values-driven process through facilitation, surveys, and challenging constructive questions that bring both research and humanity to discussions about improving organizational sustainability and resilience. Ultimately, well-being depends less on individuals than on the collective habits, structures and cultural norms that shape daily experiences within any system.
Conclusion
As experienced consultants and leaders, we know meaningful change arises not through blame but through patience, empathy and a shared commitment to improvement. When burnout occurs it signals deeper areas of misalignment worth understanding systemically rather than personally. By reframing the issue from people to workplace conditions and bringing research rigor combined with humanity, we have opportunities daily to guide constructive conversations, monitor progress holistically over time, and support adaptive refinements together with clients. With care and creativity, each small step can make cultures more aligned with the innate human spirit of meaning, growth and connection that fuels both well-being and excellence in any endeavor.
References
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "What" and "Why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., Asplund, J. W., Killham, E. A., & Agrawal, S. (2010). Causal impact of employee work perceptions on the bottom line of organizations. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(4), 378–389. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610374589
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. Jossey-Bass.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311
Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Maslach, C. (2009). Burnout: 35 years of research and practice. Career Development International, 14(3), 204–220. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430910966406
Söderfeldt, M., Söderfeldt, B., & Warg, L.-E. (1997). Burnout in social work. Social Work, 42(5), 638–646. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/42.5.638
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Beyond Blame: Understanding Workplace Burnout. Human Capital Leadership Review, 13(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.13.4.10
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