Creating an inspiring workplace.

The co-author of a new book promotes an unconventional mix of spiritual tradition and corporate reality to infuse a little bit of soul into the workplace.

As competition, cost cutting, and consumer demands challenge organizations, who has time to think about human soul in the workplace?

John B. Izzo, a San Diego-based consultant to leading corporations, cautions that leaders had better make time to nurture and inspire employees or "risk being victims of the emerging employment crisis." Co-author with Eric Klein of the recently released Awakening Corporate Soul: Four Paths to Unleash the Power of People at Work (Fair Winds Press, 1998), Izzo believes that job insecurity and the changing values of workers have generated trends that organizations can't afford to ignore.

In a previous article, "Corporate Soul for Competitive Advantage" (ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT, August 1996), Izzo and Klein identified four paths necessary to activate corporate soul: the paths of self, work, craft, and community.

Here, Izzo expands on the notion that corporate soul, "the experience of coming fully alive at work," is a critical carrot for attracting and retaining talented people. Drawing from his experiences as both spiritual adviser and corporate consultant, he outlines what today's workers value and why. He also talks about strategies for creating a culture that inspires the highest productivity while allowing a reasonable balance between work and play.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: What have you found in terms of the changing values of workers?

IZZO: From a megatrends perspective, there are some important shifts. Since people know there's no job security anymore, they are unwilling to make sacrifices. People for whom most companies are competing the hardest - the top talent - are basically saying, "As long as this is a place where I can grow personally and professionally, I'm interested in being here. The moment that it's not, I'd like to be somewhere else."

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: Do employee attitudes cross lines of age, experience, or other demographics?

IZZO: Two major generational things are taking place. First, aging baby boomers are asking profound questions about life and livelihood. They are at what I call the "Peggy Lee" stage of life, wanting to know, "Is that all there is?" Having given their lives to the corporation, they are wondering if it was worth it. They grew up in a time of great idealism, where work was supposed to be not only fun but like art - they were to be like Beethoven within the corporation. Concerns over legacy - and over how baby boomers might reinvent a way for work to be fun and meaningful - will influence the need for corporate soul.

Generation X watched the level of sacrifice their parents or older siblings made and the rewards they got for it and reached some interesting conclusions. Generation X will not let the organization rob one's personal life. Members of this generation are nine-to-fivers, not in the sense that they are unwilling to work hard, but they are so committed to balance that they will change jobs if the corporation demands too much.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: Are there other factors that drive the need for organizations to develop soul?

IZZO: An emerging employment crisis is causing organizations to fight mercilessly for top people. At the same time, surveys show that 82 percent of the workforce would prefer to work for themselves - and increasingly this is an option. It's an interesting paradox: At a time when companies need more energy from people than ever before, people question whether they want to give more. That means you must create a truly compelling workplace that is fun, that engages people, and that calls out the best in them. Only that kind of an organization can compete long term, in my view.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: Can you describe an environment that inspires high productivity while allowing balance between work and play?

IZZO: The separation between work and play needs to be more permeable. Organizations that maintain firm lines between the two often unintentionally demotivate workers and make them less productive.

For example, the Bureau of Labor conducted a study that indicated that the number one source of job satisfaction for women is the ability to socialize and make friends at work. So if the organization structures social interaction in the form of lunch breaks, parties, or even softball games with other workers, people can have some of the enjoyment at work that they might otherwise find outside in their private lives.

Studies have also shown that allowing workers to bring personal photos into their offices or to listen to CD players while they are working actually results in higher productivity. In extreme cases, companies have gone so far as to operate health clubs or to encourage volunteerism on company time to help establish this balance between work and play. In the latter case, in addition to motivated workers, the company often gets the benefit of good community relations.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: What other kinds of activities and ways of thinking can organizations promote to create this environment?

IZZO: In preparation for our book, we interviewed more than 2,500 people as to where they found soul in their work. We heard responses that relate to the fact that leaders need to get in touch with the higher purpose of work - the part that is more compelling.

If it's an association, top management must see beyond such goals as attracting the largest number of members and getting them to attend the most events and subscribe to the greatest number of publications. Management must ask questions like, "In what way are we advancing the cause of the group we represent?" and "How are we of service to these members and to society?"

These questions begin to get people thinking in a different direction. Once leaders have identified the higher purpose, they must then find ways to amplify this message throughout the organization.

Our work with a small community hospital is a good example. Once we asked management to think beyond the number of beds filled and the number of patients seen, management began to realize that the hospital kept the community vibrant - it created jobs in this small town. Through this process, managers began to think of things they hadn't ever thought of before.

Organizations can also create more fulfilling jobs by promoting fluidity in assignments, allowing people to trade jobs, take on new assignments in other departments, and move from project to project. Nobody would put a two-year-old in a playpen with one toy. But we do that all the time to people in the workplace because it's easy and convenient.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: Do exemplary environments create loyalty?

IZZO: I'm not so sure people ever were really that loyal in the true sense. They traded energy for security. And the purpose now is not necessarily to keep people in the job for a long time. I would say the goal is to create engaging workplaces so that, first, you are able to attract good people, and second, while they are working for you they will give 150 percent of their energy.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: HOW dependent is corporate soul development on the hiring process?

IZZO: Organizations must do a much better job of hiring people, taking the time to figure out if the job is right in terms of what engages a particular person and inspires commitment. A simple method of discovering what tunes in a particular person is to ask the applicant to describe the times at work when he or she was motivated to give 150 percent.

Another way is to help people know whether your organization fits with their values and job expectations. For example, you can show applicants a video presentation done by frontline people, who talk about what it's like to work there. Some people will watch the video and their souls will ignite. Others will say, "You know, that's not my kind of place."

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: In an age that your book describes as replete with "relentless competition, cost cutting, and the rethinking of service delivery," how can leaders take the time to unlock the energy within employees?

IZZO: Every organization today is tugged by the tyranny of the urgent and the instinct to spend all time on that. We're not Pollyanna about this; you can't forget about short-term results, and you can't forget about the bottom line. We're saying that if you pay attention to the higher line at the same time, you are going to get sustainable results, and you will get a level of performance from your people that is not going to be paralleled by your competition.

Lately, I have been emphasizing with leaders that the way to create more soulful workplaces is to do many little acts that eventually add up to a significant difference. That is, leaders sometimes look for the "magic soul bullet" that will create change. In fact, it is doing many things over a period of time that creates this soulful culture.

Sometimes it's better to just popcorn out the ideas rather than try to develop some ponderous multilevel strategy. So don't wait; just start doing some things and other ideas will follow. That's what it's all about.

Six Ways Leaders Can Start Awakening Corporate Soul

1. Answer the 150 percent question for yourself, and help employees answer it for themselves. Think of several times in your career when you were truly engaged and at your best. What brought that out for you? What sparked your commitment and energy at work? When you can answer that question, identify ways in which you can create those sources of energy in your current work.

2. Help people to see how their work contributes to the higher purpose of your organization. One method is to find ways to get closer to customers. Go out and talk to them, videotape them, phone them - remind yourself and others of the difference your performance makes.

3. Provide a development program that encourages staff to assess their skills and passions. Then help staff take responsibility for creating these things at work. During the process, try to find ways to bring artistic excellence to the workplace.

4. Foster a sense of community by planning ways for people to get to know each other beyond their work functions. At a staff meeting, for example, a name tag exercise that gets people talking to one another about who they are outside of work is a good way to launch the process.

5. Describe the ways in which your work as an organization serves a larger purpose, and articulate them as "sound bites" at every opportunity. By focusing on this higher purpose, you help people make the connection between your organizational mission and their goals.

6. Identify a new skill or area of expertise you'd like to explore. Find a project that brings you into a new arena. Constantly look for ways to give staff the opportunity to do the same. One simple way is to make it possible for people to trade jobs.

Source: Awakening Corporate Soul (Fair Winds Press, 1998). Reprinted with permission.

Carole Schweitzer is principal of Cameron Publications Services, Arlington, Virginia.