In Obstacle 2 of our Executive Whitepaper, we delve into how employees' motivation and job satisfaction tend to increase when they feel their work has a larger purpose.
Research suggests that connecting employees’ roles to the organisation’s mission and values and providing a sense of purpose and impact can foster higher motivation and dedication. I have found this is especially true during a transition to Agile, where having a ‘north star’ to work towards and motivating everyone to stick with the new way of working can be especially helpful.
Changing the way of working presents a unique opportunity to reestablish the connection between people's efforts and their sense of purpose and meaning. By doing so, organisations can foster a deeper sense of team member engagement and motivation, ultimately leading to higher productivity and satisfaction.
Here are some practical ways to achieve this:
Deliver frequently; seeing work getting done enables teams to feel they are
contributing.
Link the outputs from people's work to value and impact (financial and non-financial benefit)
Contribute to the mission or objectives in a way that can be measured (shared scoreboard)
The sponsoring executive team heavily influences how a delivery system is designed, managed and governed to create purpose and meaning. If changing the way of working helps better enable the fulfilment of purpose and makes meaning for employees, then the workforce will be more supportive of the change (and be more productive and engaged).
In our upcoming blog post, we will delve into Obstacle 3, exploring the challenges of Over-Enablement and Under-Adoption. Stay tuned for insightful analysis and a deeper understanding of these issues.
