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Abstract: This article explores how leaders can help employees reconnect with the meaningful impact of their work and discover a strong sense of organizational purpose. It defines purpose as the valuable contribution or positive impact an individual, team or company makes through their work, beyond just financial goals. Research shows purpose leads to numerous benefits, including greater employee engagement, well-being, and performance, as well as increased retention and profitability for organizations. The article outlines strategies for leaders, such as assessing current purpose levels, aligning individual roles with the organizational mission, celebrating purpose-driven achievements, and fostering a purpose-driven culture. By prioritizing purpose, leaders can profoundly impact employee experience while strengthening their organization's positive societal contributions. Ultimately, the article argues that cultivating purpose is a competitive necessity for companies seeking to attract, retain and motivate top talent in a meaningful way.
In today's busy work environments, it can be easy for employees to feel disconnected from their jobs and lose sight of why their work matters. However, research shows that having a strong sense of higher purpose is crucial for employee engagement, motivation, and well-being. As leaders, we have a responsibility to help our teams reconnect with the meaningful impact of their work.
Today we will explore how leaders can support their employees in discovering their organizational purpose and making a difference through their roles.
Defining Purpose and its Importance
Before delving into how to cultivate purpose, it is important to define the concept. Higher or organizational purpose refers to the meaningful contribution or positive impact an individual, team or company makes through its work (Berg, 2021). It goes beyond financial goals to encompass how work creates value for stakeholders and society. Research shows having a strong sense of purpose at work leads to numerous benefits for both employees and employers. For example:
Employees with purpose experience greater job satisfaction, commitment and engagement (Berg et al, 2014). They perform better and are more motivated to go above and beyond (Steger et al, 2012).
Purpose promotes better physical and mental well-being. It reduces stress and burnout while boosting life satisfaction and happiness (Hill et al, 2020).
Organizations benefit from higher retention, productivity and profitability when employees feel their work has meaning and importance (Souraf et al, 2016). Purposeful companies also have competitive advantage in attracting top talent.
At a societal level, when organizations empower their people to make positive contributions, it builds stronger, more compassionate communities (Badrinarayanan et al, 2015).
In short, helping teams connect with higher purpose creates a "win-win-win" for individuals, companies and society. The challenge is understanding how to cultivate this kind of meaningful work experience.
Assessing Current Purpose
Before embarking on purpose-building strategies, leaders need to get a clear picture of employees' existing perceptions. Conducting a purpose assessment or survey is an excellent first step (Berg et al, 2016). Questions should explore:
How clearly employees understand the organizational mission/vision and how their roles support these.
The perceived value and impact of their daily tasks.
Whether they find meaning, motivation and satisfaction in their work.
What factors hinder or help them serving customers/stakeholders in a purposeful way.
Leaders can then analyze feedback to identify strengths as well as gaps where purpose may be lacking. For example, a healthcare nonprofit found frontline staff strongly believed in the mission to help vulnerable communities but felt disconnected from patients due to bureaucratic processes. An assessment revealed opportunities to streamline rules and empower greater autonomy.
With clarity on employees' current purpose landscape, leaders are better equipped to craft targeted strategies to deepen meaningful work experiences. Regular ongoing assessments also allows tracking progress over time.
Aligning Individual Roles with Organizational Purpose
Once baseline purpose levels are understood, the next step is ensuring clarity on how specific job functions directly support and further the organization's goals. Too often roles can feel disconnected from the "bigger picture" of purpose due to lack of alignment (Berg et al. 2016). Leaders must clearly communicate the link between day-to-day responsibilities and overarching mission impact.
For example, at a financial services organization, the CEO held division-wide lectures connecting customer service representatives' interactions to helping clients achieve financial security - a core part of the company vision. Similarly, a tech startup had department heads create one-page guides highlighting each team member's unique purpose-driven contributions to building innovative solutions.
Strong alignment also requires giving employees autonomy and flexibility in their roles. When nursing assistants at a senior living facility gained leeway in tailoring care plans, customizing activities and spending extra time with residents, they felt empowered to truly make a difference on a human level (Grant et al. 2018). Alignment coupled with control fosters greater purpose ownership.
Celebrating Purpose Successes
Once roles are aligned and employees understand their unique meaningful impact, leaders must create opportunities to recognize and appreciate these efforts. Publicly acknowledging purpose-driven achievements is hugely motivating while fostering a culture that values meaningful work (Berg et al. 2016). Some effective celebration strategies include:
Highlighting customer/client testimonials and stories of impact in team meetings and company communications. This helps employees connect their efforts to real positive outcomes.
Launching internal "Purpose Awards" where peers nominate and vote on colleagues exemplifying purpose through innovative ideas or exemplary service.
Profiling purpose heroes in employee newsletters with photos and quotes. This inspires others through role modeling meaningful work.
Thanking individuals and teams for purposeful projects and initiatives during all-hands or town hall events.
When a school district used these celebration approaches, teachers reported feeling more valued, energized and committed to helping students succeed (Hill et al. 2020). Purpose recognition also helps retain top performers who crave meaningful work.
Fostering Purpose-Driven Cultures
While the above strategies focus on individuals, leaders must ultimately sculpt an organizational culture where higher purpose thrives systematically. Some effective tactics include (Sullivan et al. 2014):
Incorporating purpose into mission/vision statements, values, onboarding processes and performance reviews to anchor it institutionally.
Tying compensation and promotion criteria to purpose impact, customer care or community service in addition to financial metrics.
Encouraging cross-departmental volunteering for causes aligned to mission to build camaraderie and a shared mindset.
Cultivating compassion through paid time-off for volunteering, pro-bono work or community involvement that allows employees to directly serve purpose beyond work roles.
Soliciting grassroots purpose-focused employee resource groups where people passionate about certain impacts can organically collaborate on impactful initiatives.
When an engineering company used these cultural strategies, employees reported greater team cohesion and passion for creating sustainable infrastructure solutions - a major boost for attracting top talent amid a tight labor market (Badrinarayanan et al. 2015). Purposeful cultures profoundly engage and retain workers.
Conclusion
In today's workplace, simply focusing on financial goals is no longer enough to truly engage and motivate teams. Research shows employees desperately crave meaningful work and leaders play a pivotal role in cultivating this kind of experience. By understanding purpose, aligning roles, celebrating impacts and sculpting purpose-driven cultures, leaders can profoundly increase employee well-being, performance and retention while also strengthening their organizations' societal contributions. Though a journey, prioritizing higher purpose is a competitive necessity and the most effective way to positively impact people, companies and communities through work. When done right, purpose at its heart strengthens prosperity in a compassionate, sustainable manner for all.
References
Badrinarayanan, V., Bernacchi, M., & Servais, P. (2015). Cluster resources and born global firms: An assessment of five cluster types. International Business Review, 24(5), 851-862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2015.02.005
Berg, J. M. (2021). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as a function of employees’ purpose at work. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640205
Berg, J. M., Dutton, J. E., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2013). Job crafting and meaningful work. In B. J. Dik, Z. S. Byrne, & M. F. Steger (Eds.), Purpose and meaning in the workplace (pp. 81–104). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14183-005
Berg, J. M., Grant, A. M., & Johnson, V. (2010). When callings are calling: Crafting work and leisure in pursuit of unanswered occupational callings. Organization Science, 21(5), 973-994. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1090.0497
Grant, A. M., Bakhru, N., Rivera, L., Rawat, B., Pizzimenti, M. A., & Berg, J. M. (2018). Developing purpose through intervention: Evaluating an intentional self-regulation model of workplace prosocial behavior and flourishing. Research in Organizational Behavior, 38, 100-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2018.10.001
Hill, T., Suro, R., Pizzimenti, M. A., & Barr, T. F. (2020). From meaningful work to meaningful lives: Understanding and overcoming worker disengagement. Administrative Sciences, 10(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci10010008
Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072711436160
Sullivan, R., Kuhn, P., & Lopes, L. (2014, March). Resetting the standard: Cultural transformation for the new economy. In Conference on Culture and Personality.
Additional Reading
Westover, J. H. (2024). Optimizing Organizations: Reinvention through People, Adapted Mindsets, and the Dynamics of Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.3
Westover, J. H. (2024). Reinventing Leadership: People-Centered Strategies for Empowering Organizational Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.4
Westover, J. H. (2024). Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.5
Westover, J. H. (2024). Energizing Innovation: Inspiring Peak Performance through Talent, Culture, and Growth. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.6
Westover, J. H. (2024). Championing Performance: Aligning Organizational and Employee Trust, Purpose, and Well-Being. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.7
Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Workforce Evolution: Strategies for Adapting to Changing Human Capital Needs. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.8
Westover, J. H. (2024). Navigating Change: Keys to Organizational Agility, Innovation, and Impact. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.11
Westover, J. H. (2024). Inspiring Purpose: Leading People and Unlocking Human Capacity in the Workplace. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.12
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). Finding Purpose at Work: How Leaders Can Help Their Team Discover Meaning. Human Capital Leadership Review, 17(2). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.17.2.6
