Peter Drucker spent his career finding ways to maximize human endeavor. He was both fascinated and propelled by what humans could do collectively at scale. He wanted us to be as efficient as possible. He also wanted management to lead in ways that made people as gratified by their contributions as possible. As he curated management through technological advances, he was cautious about relying too heavily on machines as surrogates for humans. He\u2019s known for saying, \u201cThe computer is a moron.\u201d My hunch is that he meant nothing can replace the fired-up soul of humans pursuing the greatness within them.<\/p>\n
Today, the tensions between human and technical ingenuity are tightening as the lines between them are blurring. When we see the magnificent advances in artificial intelligence, and the impact they have on fields like medical science, is it the technological breakthroughs we stand in awe of, or the human genius behind them? Some days, it\u2019s hard to know.<\/p>\n
Today, finding meaning and purpose<\/u><\/span><\/a> at work stands as one of the greatest pursuits of the workforce, and one of management\u2019s greatest challenges to fulfill. Some researchers <\/u><\/span><\/a>suggest that 50% of those in the workforce lack a sense of meaning and purpose. Which may well be behind the statistic <\/u><\/span><\/a>we\u2019ve all heard for years, that nearly 70% of the workforce remains disengaged.<\/p>\n In our hunger for meaning and purpose, we may well be over indexing on individuality <\/u><\/span><\/a>as a source of that meaning. To contain our fear of being eclipsed, or replaced, by sweeping technological changes, many have stressed \u201cindividual branding\u201d and self-promotion as one way to avoid extinction. The irony is, most of our large organizational systems neuter individuality through standardized performance measurement systems, policies that strictly direct how respect must be shown toward fellow employees, and by cultures that homogenize the workforce, becoming 50 shades of beige instead of bright collective bursts of many colors.<\/p>\n Our attempts to diminish individuality have intensified our hunger for it.<\/p>\n But the one thing technology will never be able to replace is our capacity to co-create. Further, some of our greatest sense of purpose can be found not within ourselves, but in the shared space of joining efforts to create something we could never create on our own. Research <\/u><\/span><\/a>proves that people feel more connected their work, and to others, when they feel part of a team working toward a common purpose.<\/p>\n In an age of hyper-technological advances, managers must be vigilant about fostering shared <\/i>meaning within their organizations, not by neutralizing individuality, but by harnessing it into a greater coalition of co-creation. Here are three ways managers can foster a greater sense of collective ingenuity and purpose.<\/p>\n Honor me and we. <\/b>As humans, we\u2019re hard-wired with both the innate desire to stand apart as \u201cme,\u201d and the deep longing for intimate connection to a greater \u201cwe.\u201d These needs often feel contradictory, especially when one person\u2019s need for \u201cme\u201d collides with another\u2019s need for \u201cwe.\u201d Managers should legitimize both longings with careful exploration of how those on their team seek to meet their \u201cme\u201d and \u201cwe\u201d needs. Knowing how to orchestrate coalition<\/u><\/span><\/a> among your team prevents veering too far to either extreme, where you have a homogenized group of frustrated people whose individuality feels squelched, or a group of maverick individuals who can\u2019t blend their efforts toward a unified, greater result.<\/p>\n Encourage full ranges of emotional expression<\/b>. Our workplaces often feel void of, sometimes even discouraging of, emotional expression. To keep things \u201cprofessional,\u201d we often imply that showing feelings of ecstatic delight after an achievement, or angry frustration from a setback, are akin to an \u201cunprofessional\u201d loss of control. This narrowing range of emotion comes with an important hidden cost managers may fail to appreciate. When people limit<\/u><\/span><\/a> what they feel, they also limit their imagination. Of course, we can\u2019t have people leaping off desks when they\u2019ve aced a project, or throwing staplers at each other when they are angry. But there\u2019s far more room for wider ranges of emotional expression than we\u2019ve allowed people to explore.<\/p>\n My friend\u2019s son expressed this poignantly at a recent competition for his school\u2019s robotics club. His team was one of two finalists awaiting to hear where they placed. His son turned to my friend and whispered, \u201cI bet none of those robot\u2019s hands are sweaty like mine. And whichever team wins, their robot still won\u2019t be able to high-five them afterwards.\u201d Our capacity to feel deeply, and to share those feelings with trusted colleagues, is what makes us beautifully human, and fuels our greatest ingenuity.<\/p>\n Cultivate shared creativity. <\/b>Nourishing creativity<\/u><\/span><\/a> takes careful work. Creativity is actually rooted in a social experience, not a cognitive one. It\u2019s meant to be done in community. Understanding the delicate nature of cultivating creative talent raises a managers odds that her team will bring their most creative ideas, take risks with new approaches, and be open to having their minds changed when other\u2019s ideas prevail. Establishing clear expectations for collective creativity helps teams anticipate their managers push for collaborative effort without doubting their individual creativity is well regarded.<\/p>\n Human ingenuity at scale is one of the world\u2019s greatest innovations. Cultivating a greater sense of shared purpose within that ingenuity is today\u2019s manager\u2019s greatest challenge, and greatest opportunity. Unleashing that shared purpose is where tomorrow\u2019s greatest technical advances awaits.<\/p>\n Ron is co-founder and managing partner at Navalent<\/u><\/span><\/a>, working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations, leaders, and industries. He has a thirty year track record helping executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization and leadership. He is the best-selling author of 8 books, including the recent Amazon #1 Rising to Power<\/u><\/span><\/a>. He is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Forbes, and a two-time TEDx speaker.<\/p>\n About the Author:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ron Carucci, Managing Partner, Navalent; HBR & Forbes Contributor, 2x TED, bestselling author Rising to Power<\/p>\n This article is one in a series related to the\u00a0<\/b><\/em>10th Global Peter Drucker Forum<\/a>, with the theme\u00a0<\/b><\/em>management. the human dimension<\/a>, taking place on November 29 & 30, 2018 in Vienna, Austria #GPDF18<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n