In their book 'Conscious Capitalism', John Mackey of Whole Foods and Raj Sisodia of Babson College point out that purpose-driven firms that create cultures of meaning among their employees, customers, and society at large are on the rise, and they are financially outperforming their peers. That's in part because consumers are seeking them out. As Sisodia has written with his colleagues, "People are increasingly looking for higher meaning in their lives, rather than simply looking to add to the store of the things they own." But it's also because, as Bert and John found, having a purpose-driven culture actually makes companies work better.
Today, about 70 percent of all employees either are "not engaged" in their work - that is, they feel uninvolved, uncommitted, and unenthusiastic about it - or are "actively disengaged" from it, and less than half of all workers feel satisfied with their jobs. But when people have meaning at work, they are more engaged, more productive, and far likelier to stay at their organisations. They realise that their daily tasks, no matter how menial, are making a positive difference in the world - and that, research has found, is a very potent motivating force. As research by Teresa Amabile of Harvard Business School has found, "Of all the events that can deeply engage people in their jobs, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work.
