Convergence of individual and organizational purposes : how leaders can leverage this process

Abstract

People and organizational development have brought significant changes to the work dynamic nowadays. People are realizing that daily dedication goes beyond financial income; they search for meaningful work and purpose, which connect people’s individual essence to the organization. Finding this connection means more engagement at work, prosperous businesses and happier people. To achieve these results, this study is a proposition of a plan to help leaders to act as facilitators, helping employees to connect to their individual and organizational purposes. This is a journey that involves the identification of the main work motivators, the understanding of how leaders are going to address this purpose and the awareness on how leaders can use the identification of drivers and barriers to convergence of purposes and the description of elements to facilitate their interventions. The results come from a select group of companies considered excellent places to work and certified by Great Place to Work®. This research presents the findings that demonstrate the management practices related to the purpose and meaningful work and how the organizations can use this piece of information and how they can inspire other companies. However, leaders lack orientation and structure, so their actions won´t be only intuitive, causing losses in the possibilities of helping employees to create connections between their individual and organizational purposes.