Thriving at Work

Thriving at Work is defined as a positive psychological state in which employees experience both a sense of vitality (i.e., feeling energetic and alive at work) and learning (i.e., feeling that they are acquiring and applying valuable knowledge and skills at work). Source

Every organization wants their employees to feel this way, but figuring out how to make it happen isn’t easy.  So, we looked at the scientific research on the topic to see if we could find some helpful, data-driven tips.  This article summarizes the findings of a meta-analysis Source on Thriving at Work and offers some practical steps you can take to foster it in your organization.  

Outcomes of Thriving at Work

Many important outcomes were found to have a strong relationship with having a sense of Thriving at Work. The most notable outcomes from largest to smallest correlations (r_c) are shown below:

• Organizational Commitment (.65)
• Job Satisfaction (.64)
• Creative Performance (.58)
• Burnout (-.53)
• Attitudes toward Self-development (.52)
• Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (.39)
• Task Performance (.35)
• Turnover Intention (-.29)

These are some powerful statistics that organizations can use to build a case for devoting attention (and dollars) to processes and programs that foster Thriving at Work.  

Predictors of Thriving at Work 

The researchers investigated numerous individual and relational characteristics to see which ones were predictive of having a sense of Thriving at Work.  Some notable results that are consistent with other research on related topics are shown below.

Work Engagement (rc = .64).  This was defined as “feeling energized by, and committed to, the work” the person is doing.  Employees who get intrinsic satisfaction out of the work itself are more likely to feel a sense of Thriving at Work.

Perceived Organizational Support (rc = .63).  Employees who believe that the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being are more likely to feel a sense of Thriving at Work.

Positive Affect (rc = .52).  This is also known as Positive Emotions, which is a facet of the Enthusiasm aspect of Extraversion.  People high on this facet of personality generally tend to be happy, cheerful, and optimistic.  Not surprisingly, they also are more likely to feel a sense of Thriving at Work. 

Supportive Leadership (rc = .44) and Empowering Leadership (rc = .44).  Employees are more likely to feel a sense of Thriving at Work when their leaders show consideration for their needs.

Supportive Coworker Behavior (rc = .42).  When employees can count on their coworkers to help them grow, develop, and cope with stressors, they are more likely to feel a sense of Thriving at Work.

Ways to Help People Thrive at Work 

1. Assess Personality Traits Pre-hire. Use a personality survey based on the Five Factor Model during the hiring process to identify where the candidate lies on the Positive Affect/Emotions continuum.  Unfortunately, this trait is normally distributed in the population (as all traits are), so it is unrealistic to think that you can only hire happy people.  Still, the assessment results can help you to identify new hires that are at risk for suffering negative outcomes of not thriving at work (e.g., burnout, turnover, and the list goes on), so you can proactively provide support, using some of the ideas below.

2. Consider Job Crafting. Because doing what you love helps you feel a sense of work engagement, think about ways to add more tasks that the person enjoys and is good at (and fewer that they dislike or that don’t play to their strengths) to their job description.
   
   
3. Provide Organizational Support. Benchmark against best-in-class organizations in terms of wellness and other employee experience programs.  What are you currently doing (and what else could you be doing) to show that you value and care about them?  Take steps to publicize and encourage the support that is available to all employees. And don’t forget to measure outcomes.  Ask your employees which programs are contributing most to their sense of thriving at work.
   
   
4. Develop Your Leaders. Use both objective assessments (i.e., leadership style survey complete by the leader) and subjective assessments (i.e., feedback from direct reports) to evaluate how supportive and empowering your leaders are.  For those who are employing an authoritarian or Laissez-faire approach, provide training, coaching, and ongoing feedback.
   
   
5. Facilitate Relationships. Create opportunities for connectedness.  At the team level, this could include assigning a buddy to a new hire, rewarding supportive/collaborative behavior, or quarterly team activities.  At the organizational level, knowledge-sharing groups can facilitate learning and employee resource groups can facilitate a sense of belonging and support.

Sources

Spreitzer, G., Sutcliffe, K., Dutton, J., Sonenshein, S., & Grant, A. M. (2005). A socially embedded model of thriving at work. Organization Science, 16(5), 537–549. 

Kleine, A-K, Rudolph, CW, Zacher, H. Thriving at work: A meta-analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 2019; 40: 973– 999.