Ten Actions You Can Take To Mobilize Your Workforce around Your Business Strategy - Part 7

7. Enduring Purpose

Why do your employees get up in the morning and come to work in your organization? What percent are solely motivated by the need to make a living?

People who come to work for reasons other than the need for an income are motivated by some deeper sense of purpose. It’s that purpose that gives meaning to their work. In other words:

Purpose drives engagement

Consequently, the third Root of Engagement represents Enduring Purpose.

There is a large body of research on the power of purpose. At minimum, when employees have a sense of purpose, they are more engaged and they have:

• Increased perseverance in the face of obstacles
  
• Greater adaptability and flexibility
  
• The ability to be grounded even in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty
  
• An increased sense of identity concerning how they make a contribution to your organization
  
• Increased job satisfaction
  
• Higher levels of productivity
  

Research on creating purpose in the workplace identifies a number of different ways that employees can derive a sense of purpose at work. 

The Organization – Employees can derive a sense of purpose from the organization’s mission, vision, goals, and culture The Job – Employees can develop a sense of purpose from the actual work they do 

Relationships with Others – Many employees derive a sense of purpose from their relationships and interactions with others at work 

Their Contributions – Employees can build a sense of purpose from the way they make an impact on the organization The key to aligned engagement is to link employee sense of purpose to the business strategy or change you want to implement. 

Ten Actions You Can Take to Build Employee Engagement – Actions #8-10 

 #8 – Create a Sense of Purpose for the Entire Organization Aligned with Strategy: This is the secret behind the power of communicating a clear and compelling future for the organization—it gives the workforce a sense of purpose. 

 #9 – Create a Sense of Aligned Purpose for Teams: Help each group in your organization understand their sense of purpose and how their contributions as a workgroup impact the company. 

 #10 – Create a Sense of Aligned Purpose for Key Contributors: Encourage managers to identify the perspectives, needs, and priorities of your key contributors and help each understand how they “make a difference” in your organization.