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Delivering Purpose and Meaning Delivering Purpose and Meaning — Author: Dr Lindsay McMillan OAM Produced by Reventure Ltd | 2017
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
—Author: Dr Lindsay McMillan OAM
Produced by Reventure Ltd | 2017
Reventure Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation designed as a think-tank to undertake research and stimulate public debate and solutions about workplace matters.
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Campaign contact Australian Public Affairs, 02 9234 3888
Converge International was established in Australia in the 1960s to provide a range of specialist human resource services.
© 2017 Reventure Ltd.
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
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Contents
4 Introduction
6 The Current Reality
8 The Drivers
1. Social Context
2. The Individual Employee
3. The Employer or Leader
14 Building a Culture of Purpose and Meaning
16 References
17 About the Campaign
19 Previous Reports
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Purpose and Meaning are playing an increasingly important role in the contemporary workforce.
Younger generations entering the workforce are looking for ‘meaning makers’, people who can help them contextualise their work in the context of a bigger story and their life purpose. Those who have been in the workplace for longer are changing jobs more regularly in a search for deeper engagement.
This search is increasingly being seen as important by both employees and organisations – as being the backbone for culture and organisational effectiveness including productivity.
Yet our 2016 Snapshot of Australian Workplaces showed 72% of Australian workers are still looking for purpose and meaning in their work, and alarmingly nearly half the workforce is looking for alternate employment in a bid to feel more engaged.
As part of our national workplace renewal campaign a future that works, this report looks at the role of purpose and meaning in the current landscape and proposes strategies that can be implemented to deliver genuine change across the nation.
This is Reventure Ltd’s third significant research report following from the 2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace and CEO Insights which provided the worker and leader perspectives on workplaces and outlined the challenges of future workplaces.
Our aim is to spark debate about Purpose and Meaning in every workplace across Australia, and to provide practical suggestions and case studies to help workplaces renew.
Thank you to those who have assisted with this research, particular credit is extended to John Beckett. I challenge all employers and employees across Australia to engage in this important quest to renew our workplaces.
Dr Lindsay McMillan OAM
Introduction
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
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Dr Lindsay McMillan OAMDr Lindsay McMillan OAM is a leading Australian academic, thought leader and social commentator in the field of human resources and the complexities of the modern workplace.
As the Managing Director of Reventure Ltd, Dr McMillan is charged with undertaking research, raising public debate, and helping to renew workplaces for the future.
He is a regular researcher, author and presenter in Australia and internationally.
For decades, he has led social enterprises and an international human resources company, as well as serving in non-executive director and chair roles with boards. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
It is this practical experience in a range of leadership roles that drives Dr McMillan to work with CEOs and their workplaces to strive for greater job satisfaction, true meaning and purpose, and optimal performance.
Dr McMillan holds a Doctor of Health Services (Psychology), a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Health Administration.
He is a recipient of an OAM for services to Australians with disabilities through a range of health organisations and employee assistance programs. He is a Churchill Fellow and a recipient of a Rotary International Foundation Fellowship.
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The Current Reality
What is Purpose and Meaning?Purpose can be an end to which workplaces strive towards or a foundation upon which it builds. Either way, purpose provides direction and if properly conceived, is a primary determinant of meaning. Purpose becomes the gauge by which the value of other tasks is measured.
Meaning is more difficult to define as it can mean different things to different people. However, for employees, there can be meaning in the workplace itself (and its purpose) as well as meaning in the work being undertaken.
Purpose has the potential to provide a foundation upon which an employee meaning and engagement can be build and enhanced. When an employee can identify an organisation’s purpose and observe how it translates into society, this then allows the creation of meaning. An employee can align themself intrinsically with that purpose.
Why does it matter?Drawing on our previous research, the 2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace, which surveyed over 1,000 Australian workers – it can be concluded there are four key reasons why delivering purpose and meaning is increasingly becoming non-negotiable across workplaces;
1. Millennials are increasingly looking for workplaces that can assist them to contextualise their work in a bigger narrative and integrate their life goals. Work is being seen more and more as a calling, rather than an occupation. One example of this is the growing momentum of the start-up culture – where young entrepreneurs have decided to create their own workplace story than try to fit into someone else’s story. Workplaces will maintain
2. As technology continues to drastically impact workplaces and the work context shifts to react to these changes; there is a significant risk that employee wellbeing and engagement will become a last priority. Viewing workers in terms of output will continue workplaces on a path of disengagement and ultimately result in a negative and oppressive culture. There is also a growing shift of workers relying less on an organisation to provide them with job security.
of millennials are looking for purpose and meaning in their work.
of workers said technology brings with it a feeling of being ‘always on’.
feel their contribution at work is valued.
77%
46%
59%
higher retention rates and attract better candidates for recruitment if they place value in shaping an employee’s identity intrinsically as well as act socially responsible in their interactions outside the workplace.
3. Research demonstrates that ‘purpose’ unlocks performance and results in workers feeling valued. There are estimates on the cost of lost productivity and low engagement in Australia, such as the disengagement level increasing to more than 92 per cent costing the economy between $42 billion - $52.8 billion dollars. However money should not be the main motivator in the mission to bring meaning and purpose to your workplace. Purpose needs to drive organisational culture if it is to have the capacity to create a meaningful culture and genuine change. Culture is increasingly becoming one way to show the impact of decreased productivity and lack of direction.
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
4. ‘Purpose’ is the starting point of great organisations. If an organisation’s purpose and an employee’s role is effectively aligned, this can provide the foundation to determine achievement and provide clarity from which a company can measure success. Purpose can also create an inherent sense of community and culture of trust which will ensure that tasks are carried out seamlessly.
of workers think their current workplace culture is healthy and trusting.30%
How is the workplace responding?There are a number of current business movements which focus on Purpose and Meaning – including conscious capitalism, shared value and the ‘for purpose’ movement.
There is particular interest in the place of purpose amongst a number of larger corporations. One initiative is the ‘B team’ which gathers organisations around a set of core commitments that focus on the idea of purposeful transformation.
The rediscovery of Purpose as a key tool for organisations is also being popularised by consultants – starting with why as a means of defining Purpose.
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The Drivers
1. Social Context
The first of the three major influences in developing purpose and meaning is social context.
Purpose and meaning are social constructs formed by how individuals interact with one another to create a collective identity. A social context of a workplace normalises certain behaviours and activities - it demonstrates what is possible and impossible within the boundaries of work.
Dik and Seger’s research ‘Work as meaning’ found a large component of social context is the layout of workplaces. Well-designed workspaces can help to unlock a culture of engagement, productivity and increased wellbeing.
While technological advancements have redefined what consitutes a workplace, many organisations realise the importance of having a physical space for collaboration and form a united purpose.
Overview
Case study: Suncorp
Through the use of technology and workplace design, Suncorp make it easy for people to connect. Suncorp encourages informal meetings in café-style areas, has dedicated innovation spaces, and continues to invest in technology including Skype for Business, allowing employees to collaborate freely regardless of their location.
Suncorp also exemplifies a workplace adapting to the changing landscape rather than weathering it – their introduction of the Work@Home (W@H) Hub is designed to support contact centre employees who conduct the majority of their work from home. The Hubs in Melbourne and Brisbane allow a central point for training and monthly meetings, and provide a space for team members who wish to work from the office.
This flexibility promotes inclusion – it encompasses those employees struggling to work because of study, disability, charity work or their carer role.
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“Suncorp recognises that flexible working arrangements play an important role in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.
Allowing people to better manage their lifestyles, options include Suncorp’s unique ‘work at home’ arrangements which have been recognised with the Best Workplace Flexibility Program at the Australian HR Awards in August 2015.
More broadly, 82% of Suncorp people say they take the opportunity to work flexibly in their role.”
Amanda Revis - Chief People Experience Officer
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
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The Drivers
2. The Individual Employee
Case study: Volkswagen
Fundamentally, whilst technology has undoubtedly increased productivity and connectedness, it is also having a compounding impact on work patterns and the ability of workers to switch off from their job.
Volkswagen has been at the forefront, with the introduction of an agreement in 2012 that stopped its servers sending emails to some of its German employees after working hours.
Under this arrangement, servers stop sending emails 30 minutes after the end of employees' shifts, and then start again 30 minutes before they return to work. This gives workers who like to check in to their work email on the commute to and from work the opportunity to do so.
There are some exceptions. For example, staff can still use their devices to make calls and this rule does not apply to senior management. This flexibility is an important feature of making arrangements work over the long term.
The second of the three major influences in developing purpose and meaning is the individual employee.
Workplaces should recognise that discovering meaning at work requires individual employees to be active crafters of their work experience.
There should be a mutual understanding as to why an employee is working and why they have
chosen a certain organisation - it may be out of a necessity, to forge a status or identity or even to seek new horizons and challenges.
For a culture to be maintained, ownership should then be given to employees to assist in forming the kind of culture they wish to be a part of.
Overview
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Volkswagen Group Australia has implemented a cultural change program with the objective to be a leading customer-centric, high performance organisation.
Under the leadership of our Managing Director we have seen positive shifts in the way we work and we continue to refine our work practices, systems and processes so that we deliver a consistently exceptional experience for our customers and business partners.
Lisa Taylor – Human Resources Director
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
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The Drivers
3. The Employer or Leader
The third major influence in developing purpose and meaning are employers or leaders. An employer holds the potential to either enhance or detract from wellbeing, productivity and engagement based on the kind of culture they introduce and foster.
A vital determinant of a good leader is trust. If there is not a relationship of trust between leaders and their teams, then any attempt at fostering meaningfulness will likely be unsuccessful.
This can be also be a matter of perception. Increasingly workplace culture is being viewed as a measurement of success in organisations rather than the simple mathematics of employee turnover.
Mourkogiannis believes workplaces need to undertake a process of discovery in which there is self-awareness of leadership style and employees including the qualities that are needed in order to lead with purpose.
Overview
Case study: Leading Teams
Leading Teams’ innovative business structure places strong team dynamics and clear organisational purpose at its core.
Each year, Leading Teams asks the entire workforce to openly vote to elect their Leadership Team. Leadership must have shown the key agreed behaviours that their culture is based on, such as showing initiative, listening to feedback, collaborating and genuinely caring for others.
During his time at the Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Teams founder Ray McLean had witnessed how levels of performance varied among teams who had received the same training, realising the differences came from the nature of the relationships and the communication.
Having implemented this system in a range of industries from the AFL to major multinationals, this model ensures the onus is placed on team members to not only be responsible for their own workplace culture but to continuously add value.
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“You can behave your way into a Leadership Team but you can always behave your way out of one.
We pride ourselves in taking the time to invest in our relationships so we can easily have the conversations that sometimes need to be had – whether it’s addressing counter-productive behaviour or aligning team members’ goals with the organisation’s purpose.
Being able to have the conversations and move forward allows the team to constantly improve.”Tim Ferguson – Partner/Facilitator
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
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1. Foster Employee Participation and Inclusion A culture of respect and valuing employees can be generated and sustained by the simple act of inclusion.
For example, you can include employees in the formation and articulation of the organisation’s purpose and then consciously design strategies that move employees towards greater alignment with that purpose.
It is vitally important that the leader is able to not only communicate the purpose and the functions of the organisation, but also inspire.
2. Communicate the Alignment between Individual Roles and Organisational Goals Leaders need to be able to identify and articulate the way in which an individual employee’s role contributes to the achievement of the common purpose. This includes fostering an understanding of how the individual’s personal attributes such as their interests, abilities, values, and personality uniquely equip them to do their work well.
This can be enhanced through leadership training that focuses on developing the soft skills of transformational leadership. This is a style of leadership where a leader works with employees to identify needed change, create a vision to guide the change and executes the change together. This allows leaders to better address employees’ needs and interests, engender trust and create commonality and alignment.
Another innovative approach can be to develop job landscapes rather than job descriptions. Instead of a list of KPIs and direct reports, a job landscape outlines a list of end goals assigned to an employee and the ways in which these goals interconnect and relate to the goals of other employees.
3. Encourage Autonomy and Active EngagementAfter there has been a clear identification and articulation of purpose, workers should be afforded a high degree of autonomy to carry out their role and make an active decision to work towards this vision.
Employee satisfaction will be superficial if there is a lack of congruence between the outlined purpose and the internal realities of the workplace.
Encouraging employees to co-design their own purpose requires servant leadership. This is where a leader demonstrates humility and is secure in their identity and role to value the contributions employees make.
4. Provide Resources and InformationTo increase autonomy, employees should have all the information and resources they require to effectively do their job. Employees should also be
1
2
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Foster Employee Participation and
Inclusion
Communicate the Alignment between Individual Roles and Organisational Goals
Encourage Autonomy and Active
Engagement
Building a Culture of Purpose and Meaning
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
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aware of the narrative behind the organisation in order to gather around that common purpose with a common direction.
This is about developing an engaged workforce who are energised by their work and willing to emotionally engage and invest personal resources such as knowledge, skills and abilities and increase their motivation, engagement and resilience.
However there is an associated risk when organisations attempt to invest deeper meaning into daily tasks, as the reality is, not everything one does in a workday will have deep significance.
5. Serve a Greater PurposeWhile an altruistic outcome is not a requirement for developing meaningfulness, this is a recommended addition to help maximise the update of purpose among workers.
Our research indicates many workers are now looking for roles that serve external beneficiaries and contribute to the common good.
Leaders who are able to identify, design and articulate strategies that go beyond money, and serve a greater purpose, are more likely to foster a work culture that is conducive to developing meaningfulness.
Daniel Pink reinforces this, claiming “Money alone isn’t enough to push us to do our best. Instead we are driven and inspired when we believe that what we are doing serves something important beyond ourselves.”
6. Reinforcing EngagementActively implementing these strategies will result in higher levels of engagement, and may be reinforced through incentivisation that is not only linked to financial outcomes, but measures of application and alignment. This can be achieved through career construction and job crafting.
Career construction is a key tool used to help individuals develop a narrative that identifies their purpose and sources of meaning. This approach firstly identifies the individual skills and values that align with the work culture as well as the opportunities at work that will contribute to their personal development. This approach allows an employee to approach their career as the author of their future.
Job crafting allows employees a greater sense of independence to redefine and reimagine their roles, placing some of the responsibility for enhancing meaning with the employee. Examples include making changes to their tasks, reshaping relationships by finding mentors or colleagues with complementary skills or reframing the perceptions by focusing on the positive outcomes of a role rather than the tasks that are completed such as the role of People Development rather than Human Resource Director.
4
5
6Reinforcing
Engagement
Serve a Greater Purpose
Provide Resources and information
Purpose and Meaning Process© Reventure Ltd
A.R. Elangovan, Craig C. Pinder, Murdith Mclean,
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Meera Alagaraja and Brad Shuck, ‘Exploring
Organizational Alignment-Employee Engagement
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Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job
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Robert W. Lent, (2013) Promoting Meaning and
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a future that works is a national workplace renewal
campaign launched by Reventure Ltd in response
to the 2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace
finding that nearly half the Australian workforce will
be looking for a new job in the next year.
The campaign is aimed at providing solutions and
practical guides so that workplaces can more
actively engage with modern challenges and
become healthier, happier and more engaged with
better cultures and higher levels of commitment
and productivity.
When you JOIN THE CALL FOR CHANGE you will be
engaging in the latest research, helping to raise the
level of national debate on workplace matters, and
be an advocate for the future.
About the Campaign
JOIN THE CALL FOR CHANGE and renew your
workplace at www.afuturethatworks.org.au
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
Page 18
The campaign’s first report, the 2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace, surveyed over 1000 Australian workers and clearly identified job satisfaction, technology, productivity, and general health as the most significant issues confronting Australian workplaces.
This national survey revealed 49% of workers were likely to be looking for a new job in the next year, demonstrating how workplaces across the country were struggling to cope with modern challenges.
2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace
Job Satisfaction
Performance
of Australian workers are extremely / very
satisfied with their current job
of workers will likely look for a new job in the coming year
believe their boss has vision and direction
of workers say they are working at peak performance most of the time
are searching for purpose and meaning through their work
About a third (35%) of workers feel the poor leadership is the most stressful part of their job
44%
49%
71%
43%
of Australian workers have experienced one or more
serious incidences of conflict or other negative impacts at work
Half
72%
Impact of Technology
Health
of workers are relying on technology to perform over 75% of their work. Gen X claims the highest percentage of work done using technology
agree that the impact of new and emerging technologies is affecting the way their work is defined and accomplished
About 29% of Australian workers feel a high amount of stress in relation to their job often or always. 44% feel a high amount of stress at work sometimes
54% of millennials are experiencing technology– related stress with Gen X at 47% and Boomer at 37%
40%Over
65%
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Delivering Purpose and Meaning
2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace
—Author: Dr Lindsay McMillan OAM
Produced by Barna Group for Reventure Ltd.
161004_A future that works_Report 1_Snapshot_v6_PRINT.indd 1 5/10/2016 10:25:38 AM
CEO InsightsThe top ten challenges facing the CEO of the future
—Author: Dr Lindsay McMillan OAM
Produced by Reventure Ltd | 2016
161109_A future that works_CEO's Report_FINAL.indd 1 9/11/2016 12:04:57 PM
This is the campaign’s second significant research report, highlighting leadership in the workplace in a time of unprecedented challenge and change.
50 CEOs have given their insights into ten topics impacting leadership in the modern workplace with some points of agreement, some disagreement, some genuine tension, and many valuable suggestions for solutions.
1. The CEO of the Future
The hierarchical, dictatorial workplace has been replaced with a new age of engagement, persuasion, role modelling and creativity.
2. A Time of Rapid Change
As the most significant pressure point for CEOs, rapidity of change creates an uncertain future for many businesses with challenges such as the growing role of Asia, technology and structural changes to work environments.
3. Information, Disruption & Innovation
CEOs discuss the value and place for ambiguity and disruption in the creative growth of a business and the role of reflection in innovative leadership.
4. The Moral Compass
Half of CEOs said business had lost its moral compass, while others explored whether business
CEO Insights ever had one. Is corporate philanthropy and staff treatment the new business moral compass?
5. Addicted to Urgency and Busyness
Caught up in day-to-day dealing with short-term cash flow, minimising risk and compliance issues, CEOs are increasingly frustrated that the bottom line is the only true measurement of success.
6. Profit or Community Value?
The ‘why are we here’ debate – what is the purpose of business and where does providing benefit to the general community fit in?
7. Is Resilience a Buzzword?
CEOs discussed whether resilience can be taught or whether it is an inherent trait. Has wellbeing become a meaningless buzzword?
8. Power and Authority
The art of balancing power – the struggle of exerting authority without creating an “us and them” culture.
9. Separating Corporate from Personal
Do CEOs leave their emotions at the door? Should employees be expected to do the same?
10. The CEO’s Legacy
The majority of CEOs measure their success and worth by the relationships they form and the impact they have had on others.
It’s time to renew Australian workplaces!
JOIN THE CALL FOR CHANGE
www.afuturethatworks.org.au
—Follow a future that works
