{"id":63446,"date":"2021-02-16T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=articles&p=63446"},"modified":"2021-02-11T19:26:17","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T00:26:17","slug":"creating-an-organization-of-meaning","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/articles\/leadership\/creating-an-organization-of-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating an Organization of Meaning"},"author":52,"featured_media":63447,"template":"","tags":[2849,28399,822,4061,24085],"class_list":["post-63446","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-corporate-responsibility","tag-organization-of-meaning","tag-purpose","tag-purpose-driven-organization","tag-social-responsibility","global_topic_tax-leadership"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"Dr. Gregory Stebbins","author_image":63448,"author_bio":"Dr. Gregory Stebbins has a 30+-year career designing, developing and delivering educational programs for organizations throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Conscious Leadership Guild. His most recent book is called \u201cTranscendent Leadership: Manifesting Organizational Vitality\u201d and is available from Amazon. You can reach him on LinkedIn or on his website<\/a>.","excerpt":"People seek meaning in their work out of a natural resolve to align their external environment with their internal identity.","main_content":"Rather than being a source of meaning and fulfillment, organizations are often a frustrating experience with little opportunity for significance. Fortunately, the focus on meaningful work has appreciably increased over the last two decades.\r\n\r\nPeople seek meaning in their work out of a natural resolve to align their external environment with their internal identity. This meaning can positively influence their job engagement and organizational commitment, directly impacting organizational vitality. Research<\/a> shows that people with meaningful work report better health, well-being and engagement. They are also more likely to view mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures.\r\n\r\nWhat is meaningful to millennials and members of Generation Z<\/a> is different than what baby boomers and some Generation Xers initially sought. The self-related purposes of money, recognition, self-preservation and the self-indulgent life has taken a back seat to something more self-transcendent. Or, as Steve Jobs once said, \u201cWe\u2019re here to make a little dent in the universe.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cEmployees are looking at their companies and wanting to understand: \u2018how can we make a difference in the world and do something important?\u2019\u201d (Michael Dell<\/a>, chief executive officer, Dell Computers).<\/em>\r\n\r\nIn 2016, an Accenture survey<\/a> asked new college graduates what was essential to them when working at an organization, and 92% of them cited social responsibility as important. These graduates want to work for an organization that creates positive change and adds meaning to their life. They are the emerging and mid-level leaders of today\u2019s organizations.\r\n