The Progress Principle

by Amabile, Teresa; Kramer, Steven

• ISBN13: 9781422198575
• ISBN10: 142219857X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-07-19
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Pr

Summary

What reallysets the best managers above the rest? It'¬"s their power to build a cadre of employees who have great inner work lives'¬ ;consistently positive emotions; strong motivation; and favorable perceptions of the organization, their work, and their colleagues. The worst managers undermine inner work life, often unwittingly. As Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer explain in The Progress Principle, seemingly mundane workday events can make or break employees'¬" inner work lives. But it'¬"s forward momentum in meaningful work progress that creates the best inner work lives. Through rigorous analysis of nearly 12,000 diary entries provided by 238 employees in 7 companies, the authors explain how managers can foster progress and enhance inner work life every day. The book shows how to remove obstacles to progress, including meaningless tasks and toxic relationships. It also explains how to activate two forces that enable progress: (1) catalysts'¬ ; events that directly facilitate project work, such as clear goals and autonomy and (2) nourishers'¬ ; interpersonal events that uplift workers, including encouragement and demonstrations of respect and collegiality. Brimming with honest examples from the companies studied, The Progress Principleequips aspiring and seasoned leaders alike with the insights they need to maximize their people'¬"s performance.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Scenes from the Organizational Trenches	p. 11
The Dynamics of Inner Work Life	p. 27
The Inner Work Life Effect: How Inner Work Life Drives Performance	p. 43
Discovering the Progress Principle	p. 67
The Progress Principle: The Power of Meaningful Accomplishment	p. 87
The Catalyst Factor: The Power of Project Support	p. 101
The Nourishment Factor: The Power of Interpersonal Support	p. 129
At the End of the Day	p. 157
Tending Your Own Inner Work Life	p. 183
Appendix: About the Research	p. 193
Notes	p. 223
Index	p. 247
Acknowledgments	p. 255
About the Authors	p. 259
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