Question

Point

Organizations should do everything they can to establish a positive culture, because it works. Scores of recent studies have shown that individuals who are in positive states of mind at work and in life lead happier, more productive, and more fulfilling lives. Given the accumulating evidence, researchers are now studying ways to make that happen.

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Wharton faculty member Adam Grant discusses an interesting concept: outsourcing inspiration. What does he mean by that? Grant writes: “A growing body of research shows that end users—customers, clients, patients, and others who benefit from a company’s products and services—are surprisingly effective in motivating people to work harder, smarter, and more productively.”

Some tangible examples of how this can work:

Northwestern University’s “buddy program” introduces Alzheimer’s patients to scientists working to develop treatments for the disease.

At a Merrill Lynch branch, weekly team meetings begin with stories about how the team has made a difference in customers’ lives.

“All Medtronic employees have a ’defining moment’ in which they come face-to-face with a patient whose story deeply touches them,” writes former CEO Bill George.

At Wells Fargo, managers show bankers’ videos of people describing how low-interest loans rescued them from severe debt—a vivid reminder to the bankers that they are striving to serve their customers, not their managers.

Of course, there are other ways of creating a positive organizational culture, including building on strengths and rewarding more than punishing.

Creating a positive organizational culture is not magic, but it tends to have extremely positive benefits for organizations that embrace it. Outsourcing inspiration is a great way for employees to feel appreciated, to experience empathy, and to see the impact of their work—all motivating outcomes that will lead organizations to be more effective and individuals more fulfilled in their work.

CounterPoint

There are many unanswered questions about the merits of using positive organizational scholarship to build positive organizational cultures. Let’s focus on three.

What is a positive culture? The employment relationship can be amicable and even mutually beneficial. However, glossing over natural differences in interests with the frosting of positive culture is intellectually dishonest and potentially harmful. From time to time, any organization needs to undertake unpopular actions. Can anyone terminate an employee positively (and honestly), or explain to someone why others received a raise? There’s a danger in trying to sugarcoat. Positive relationships will develop—or not—on their own. We’d be better off preaching that people, and organizational cultures, should be honest and fair, rather than unabashedly positive.

Is practice ahead of science? Before we start beseeching organizations to build positive cultures, we should make sure these interventions work as we think they do. Many have unintended consequences, and we simply don’t have enough research to support the claims put forth. As one reviewer noted, “Everyone wants to believe they could have greater control over their lives by simply changing the way they think. Research that supports this idea gets promoted loudly and widely.” But it’s not based on a mountain of evidence.

Is building a positive culture manipulative? Psychologist Lisa Aspinwall writes of “saccharine terrorism,” where employees are coerced into positive mindsets by Happiness Coaches. You may think this an exaggeration, but companies like UBS, American Express, KPMG, FedEx, Adobe, and IBM use Happiness Coaches to do exactly that. As one critic noted, “Encouraging people to maintain a happy outlook in the face of less-than-ideal conditions is a good way of keeping citizens under control in spite of severe societal problems, or keeping employees productive while keeping pay and benefits low.”

Pick a side (either POINT or COUNTERPOINT) and explain why you have chosen this position. Present an argument regarding why a manager in an organization would benefit from the side/perspective you have chosen.  

Answer 1

Answer: I agree with the first position that is the “Point”. Organizational culture plays a very important role developing work place behaviors. By using creative strategies like “Inspiration outsourcing” the companies can develop a strong and positive organizational culture inside the organization. Organizational culture develops shared beliefs, values and thought process inside the organization and inspires the employees to work together in one direction. Leaders can therefore make efforts to develop an organizational culture which motivates the people to work hard towards the achievement of the organizational goals and objectives. The organizational culture can act as a tool for creating a competitive advantage as the motivated employees perform well and can help the organization to outperform the markets. The positive organizational culture is helpful for the organizations to align the individual goals of the employees with the organizational goal and motivate them to perform well. By using the strategies like “Inspiration outsourcing”, the leaders can develop strong organizational culture of performance and motivation.