“You do your best work when you’re passionate about it.”
I tell myself this whenever I start a project. I truly believe it. With no passion, comes no care, comes no effective end-result. Passion is missing in the communications industry.
As I briefly highlighted in my last post about Generation Y and corporate America, stimulation and freedom were two core tenets that effectively pushed creativity in the workplace. The problem, I found, was the reality that not many leading companies foster this notion. The creative disconnect between Generation X and Y suppresses progress.
Fortunately, there’s a way around this. According to new data from Harvard Business School, personal ownership of one’s work fosters drivers of success: “So what can managers and entrepreneurs do to promote a healthy, positive inner work life among employees? A pat on the back or a company Ping-Pong table is always welcome, but what [Teresa] Amabile and [Steven] Kramer discovered was much simpler: People have their best days and do their best work when they are allowed to make progress.” The core of successful progress stems from what Amabile refers to as the “inner work life,” the personal connection to a project. “In my Managing for Creativity course, I ask students to consider how they will establish a work environment that will support the creativity and intrinsic motivation of others. Our research suggests that most managers are not in tune with the inner work lives of their employees; nor do they appreciate how pervasive the effects of inner work life can be on performance.” Some examples of fostering a positive inner work life: “Support employees’ progress in their work every day. Set clear and meaningful goals for them; provide direct help, versus hindrance; offer adequate resources and time; respond to successes and failures by drawing on the experience as a learning opportunity, not just a moment to praise or reprimand; and establish a culture where people are treated with respect.”
However, there’s fear that too much creativity as well as the massive influx of my generation in the workforce may create a negative spiral, particularly in the public relations/marketing industry. Less experienced staff with veritable entrepreneurial spirit can undercut age-old and bureaucratic procedures. The question remains: How can we create the best possible synergy?
I’m fortunate to work at an organization where passion and creativity matter. Hard work and strategic insight are valued above all else. Unfortunately, the rest of the industry continues to stuggle when it comes to these ideas behind an effective “inner work life.”
May 18, 2008, 12:27am
