The Benefits of Being Purpose-oriented at Work and What Brands Can Do to Close the ‘Purpose Gap’

M: Jo ConfinoHuffington Post@joconfino

Arthur WoodsImperative@ArthurWoods

Bea BoccalandroVeraWorks@bboccalandro

Gabriel GrantYale University/Human Partners@gbgrant

The Benefits of Being Purpose-oriented at Work and What Brands Can Do to Close the 'Purpose Gap'

#SB16SD #ActivatingPurpose

©2016GabrielGrant

Human® Partners Center for Businessand the EnvironmentYale

WhatdoweknowaboutPurposeandWheredowegofromhere?

©2016GabrielGrant

GabrielGrant,M.S.,M.Ph.

Ihaveadreamwherealllifeflourishestogetherthroughpeopleexperiencinglifeasacalling

Founder,Human®PartnersCofounder,AuthenticSustainabilityCofounder,ByronFellowshipEducationalFoundationDoctoralCandidate,YaleCenterforIndustrialEcologyandCenterforBusinessandtheEnvironment

[email protected]

©2016GabrielGrant

Insevenminutesorless…

1.Areweenteringanageofpurpose?

2.Whatdoessciencetellusaboutpurpose?

3.Whenmightpurposecontributetowardengagement?

Bonus:Whatcomesafterthepurposebasedorganization?

©2016GabrielGrant

AreweenteringanAgeofPurpose?

©2016GabrielGrant

©2016GabrielGrant

[holding out for purposeful work]

©2016GabrielGrant

…oristhemillennialgenerationthemostindividualisticnarcissisticgenerationtohave

everlived?

AreweenteringanAgeofPurpose?

We’reboth.

GenMeorGenWe?

©2016GabrielGrant

Howmightweknow?

©2016GabrielGrant

Weliveinthemostindividualisticandnarcissisticcultureinwrittenhistory(Greenfield2013)

ExamplesfromGreenfield2013ofculturomic indicatorsofindividualistic/collectivisticculture,withintheEnglishliterature

©2016GabrielGrant

Weliveinthemostindividualisticandnarcissisticcultureinwrittenhistory(Greenfield2013)

©2016GabrielGrant

…butweappeartobeacceleratingbacktowardcollectivisticvalues

©2016GabrielGrant

…butweappeartobeacceleratingbacktowardcollectivisticvalues

0

0.00005

0.0001

0.00015

0.0002

0.00025

1800 1850 1900 1950 2000duty decision

©2016GabrielGrant

Weliveinthemostindividualisticandnarcissisticcultureinwritinghistory

©2016GabrielGrant

…butweappeartobeacceleratingbacktowardcollectivisticvalues

©2016GabrielGrant

ThismaybewhatViktorFrankl wouldcallanexistentialcrisis

…onasocietalscale

andinthemidstofthis,we’researchingforpurpose

©2016GabrielGrant

Thereisanunprecedentedgrowthinthethemeof“purposeinlife”inpopularliteraturethroughoutthe

livesofthemillennialgeneration.

Frequencyofthephrase"purposeinlife"intheGooglecorpusofEnglishbooksfromyears1800-

2008.ThegraphwasmadewiththeGoogleBooksNgramViewerwithasmoothingof3.

©2016GabrielGrant

and“Purposeinlife”isbecomingatopicwithinthescholarlyliterature(justasmillennials begintoentercollege)

Frequencyofacademicpublicationscontainingthephrase"purposeinlife"in

theGoogleScholardatabasefromyears1960-2013

©2016GabrielGrant

Whatdoessciencetellusaboutpurpose?

©2016GabrielGrant

Livelongerwithalifeworthliving…

• Increasedlifeexpectancy• Psychologicalandphysical

wellbeing• Resilience,abilitytocope,• Motivation• Lifesatisfaction• Positiveaffect(e.g.,

happiness)

• Reducedstress• Reducedratesof

Alzheimer’sdiseaseandcognitiveimpairment

• Reducedinflammationresponse,

• Improvedcardiovascularandmetabolicmarkers

Sources:Bronk,2013;Hill&Turiano,2014

©2016GabrielGrant

Whatdoesn’tsciencetellus(yet)?

Howtomeasurepurpose(higher,beyondtheself,orpro-socialpurpose)

Howtocreatepurpose

©2016GabrielGrant

Whenmightpurposecontributetowardengagement?

©2016GabrielGrant

Thinkingaboutyourownorganization,howwouldyoucompletethesentence:

Wepursuesustainabilitybecause…

©2016GabrielGrant

••Interest••Enjoyment••Inherentsatisfaction

Intrinsic

••Congruence••Synthesiswithself

Integrated

••Personalimportance••Consciousvaluing

Identified

••Ego-involvement,lookinggood,beingright••Perceivedapprovalordisaprovalofothers••Internalrewardsandpunishments

Introjected

••ExternalrewardsandpunishmentsFullyExternal

••Apathy••Non-valuing

Amotivation

Non

-self-d

etermined

(External)

Self-de

term

ined

(In

ternal)

Self-determinationMotivationalContinuum(adaptedfromDeci andRyan2000)

©2016GabrielGrant

Thinkingaboutyourownorganization,howwouldyoucompletethesentence:

Wepursuesustainabilitybecause…

• It’stherightthingtodo• It’sabigthinginourindustry• It’swhattheworldneeds• Toreduceourfootprint• It’sawinwinforbusinessandthe

planet• Increaseprofit• Reducecosts

• Tobecompetitive• Tocomplywith(futureorcurrent)

regulation• Wedon'twanttobeseenasthisbig

industrialbeast• Toavoidimpendingdoom• Resourcesarefinite

©2016GabrielGrant

Peopleexperiencingthehighestlevelsofworkmotivationandengagement,hadinternally

motivatedresponsessuchas:

Wepursuesustainabilitybecause…

• Becausewecare• It’swhoweare• It’swhatwewant• It’spartofourvalues• Tocreatethefuturewewant• It'sjustinthecoreofeverydecisionthat'smadehere• Forthechallengeofit

©2016GabrielGrant

Sustainability(orpurpose)Motivation

WorkMotivation Engagement

©2016GabrielGrant

Non-self-determinedpurpose

motivation

Less-self-determined

workmotivation

Engagement/Disengagement,Frustration,

Anxiety,Burnout

Self-determinedpurpose

motivationSelf-determinedworkmotivation Engagement

Non

-self-d

etermined

(External)

Self-de

term

ined

(In

ternal)

Amotivation,nosenseofpurpose

Externallymotivatedwork

orientation

MinimizeEngagement

Thedominantsustainabilitydiscoursetendstooscillatedownhere

©2016GabrielGrant

Whatcanyoudorightnow?• Purposelivesinaconversation,transformtheconversation• Diversifythemotivationsyou’resharing• Shareyourwhy,shareyourpurpose,shareavisionofthefutureyouwant

• Sharefromyourheartfirst,thensharefromyourhead• Allowyourselftoexperienceself-determinationinthepursuitofsustainabilitysuchthatyoumakethatpossibilityavailableforothers

• Note:Itwillfeelvulnerableuntilyourtribe’slanguageassimilatestoyoursoruntilyourlanguagere-assimilatestothetribe

©2016GabrielGrant

Thankyou!

[email protected]

©2016GabrielGrant

BackupSlides

©2016GabrielGrant

MotivationsforSustainabilityAcrossFourOrganizationsKnownforSustainabilityPerformance

©2016GabrielGrant

FullEngagementI:Canyoutellmeastoryaboutatimethatyouwereleastengaged?P:“Umm...Inevergetbored.There'salwayssomethingtodobecauseItraveltothoseotherstores,there'salwaysteamstotalkto.Idon'tknow,Icanthinkaboutitsomemore.There'snoboringpartofmyjob.Idon’tknow,I’msurethere’ssomethingbutIdon'tknowwhat.Umm,no.Icanthinkaboutitthoughifyouwantmetoo.”

©2016GabrielGrant

FullEngagementP:“I’mbenefitingfromthefactthatwe’recompletelyunderstaffedandunderfundedandthere’sanopportunityformetomakearealcontribution.It’sgreat.It’sreallyexciting!Wehaveamillionprojectsandideasthatwecan’timplementandI’mjustreallythankfulthattherearesomanyopportunitiestolearnandcontribute.”

THANK YOU!

#SB16SD #ActivatingPurpose

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