Principled Insubordination: Lessons From Dr. Todd Kashdan

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew sits down with Dr. Todd B. Kashdan, Professor of Psychology at George Mason University and author of "The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively."

As one of the main figures in the positive psychology movement, Dr. Kashdan brings over 20 years of research on purpose, meaning, and well-being to this conversation about the value of principled rebellion in creating more meaningful work environments.

The Evolution of Purpose Research

The conversation begins with a reflection on how research on purpose and meaning has evolved over the past two decades. Kashdan highlights a key insight: "A lot of the things that were originally discussed as the defining features of purpose in life are actually things that could amplify it, or there are things in the environment that could influence it."

This distinction is crucial because it shifts our focus to potential intervention targets.

For example, rather than seeing an enriching environment as an inherent part of having purpose, we can now explore how factors like green spaces might influence the development of purpose in young people.

Kashdan also emphasizes that while disadvantaged circumstances can make it harder to commit time and effort to one's purpose, they don't inherently prevent someone from having a sense of purpose.

This nuanced understanding opens up new avenues for supporting purpose development across diverse populations.

The Value of Principled Rebellion

The heart of the conversation centers on Kashdan's recent book, "The Art of Insubordination." He argues that fostering principled rebellion is crucial for creating more innovative, inclusive, and meaningful work environments. Kashdan presents an equation of principled insubordination:

(Defiance x Authenticity + Contribution) / Social Pressure

This equation highlights the importance of genuine, constructive dissent in the face of social conformity pressures.

Kashdan asserts that "Dissent opens people's minds, conformity closes people's minds." Even when a dissenting idea is ultimately wrong, it stimulates "cognitive liberation," encouraging more creative problem-solving within the group. He further argues that "permitting and embracing dissent unlocks the benefits of diversity." It's not enough to have diverse team members; organizations need to create environments where unique perspectives are truly heard and valued.

Navigating the Challenges of Principled Rebellion

While advocating for more principled rebellion, Kashdan doesn't shy away from discussing the potential pitfalls. He introduces the concept of the "Black Sheep Effect," where dissenters often face harsher criticism from their in-group than outsiders would. This can make speaking up emotionally challenging. He also discusses the "Power Paradox," noting a tendency for successful dissenters to become inflexible once they gain majority support, potentially stifling future innovation.

Kashdan acknowledges that embracing dissent can create short-term inefficiencies but argues it leads to more robust, innovative solutions in the long run.

Strategies for Fostering Constructive Dissent

Kashdan offers several practical strategies for individuals and organizations looking to cultivate healthier dissent. He recommends that individuals diversify their identity portfolio, investing in multiple dimensions of their identity beyond work. This creates resilience, allowing people to better weather potential backlash from speaking up.

For organizations, he emphasizes the importance of separating task conflict from relationship conflict. This distinction allows for more productive discussions about ideas or methods without damaging working relationships.

When dissenting, individuals should focus on how their ideas contribute to shared goals rather than simply opposing the status quo. Kashdan also stresses the importance of creating safe spaces for minority perspectives. Even as formerly marginalized groups gain acceptance, it's crucial to maintain spaces where unique cultural identities can be fully expressed and honored.

Implications for Meaningful Work

This conversation has profound implications for how we think about creating meaningful work environments. It underscores the importance of psychological safety, where people feel secure expressing dissenting views without fear of personal repercussions. Leaders must recognize that fostering meaningful dissent often involves navigating complex trade-offs between short-term efficiency and long-term innovation.

Kashdan's insights challenge us to redefine success in organizational culture. Rather than seeing unanimity as a sign of strong culture, organizations should celebrate constructive disagreement as a marker of psychological safety and innovation potential. For individuals, engaging in principled rebellion can be a powerful source of meaning, allowing them to align their work with deeply held values and contribute to positive change.

By fostering environments that welcome principled rebellion, organizations can unlock greater innovation, inclusivity, and, ultimately, more meaningful work for all.

Resources for further exploration:

• The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively by Todd B. Kashdan

• Origins of purpose in life: Refining our understanding of a life well lived by Todd B. Kashdan & Patrick E. McKnight

• Differential contributions of majority and minority influence by Charlan J. Nemeth

• The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence by Dacher Keltner

Time, Meaning and Existential Labour: Lessons from Katie Bailey

This Meaningful Work Matters episode features Dr. Katie Bailey, a Professor of Work and Employment at the King’s College London. Her research focuses on meaning and purpose at work, temporality and interstitial times and spaces in organizations, employee engagement, and strategic human resource management.

Katie takes us on a tour of the various ways that meaningful work has been defined in the academic literature, the ways that time truly matters when it comes to finding meaning at work, and how we can create an ethical environment for meaningful work by reducing the gaps between what we say and what we do when it comes to designing roles, tasks, interactions, and building organizational cultures that support individuals as they pursue meaningful work.

The Multi-Faceted Nature of Meaningful Work

Bailey has spent years exploring the complexity of meaningful work in research and practice. She emphasizes that meaningful work goes far beyond job satisfaction or employee engagement because it is intertwined with our most human sense of identity and purpose. She notes that in the literature, there are many different definitions of meaningful work, but they can be primarily broken down into two broad perspectives:

1. Subjective Dimension: From one perspective, meaningful work is seen as subjective, essentially down to the individual. It's in the eye of the beholder, where people decide daily whether their work is subjectively meaningful to them. Psychologists who regard meaningful work as an attitude similar to job satisfaction often hold this view. It's a personal assessment based on individual feelings and perceptions.

2. Objective Dimension: The other perspective views meaningful work as an objective attribute that some jobs have and others don't. This view is shared by sociologists, ethicists, and political theorists. They believe that society objectively determines meaningful work, with specific attributes that make it meaningful. These attributes include autonomy, dignity, freedom, and receiving feedback. Jobs possessing these characteristics are considered meaningful objectively, regardless of an individual's feelings or perceptions.

Source: Lips-Wiersma, M., & Wright, S. (2012).

Four Pillars of Meaningful Work

Bailey points to the work of Marjolein Lips-Wiersma, who maps meaningful work into four key pillars: contribution, belonging, self-actualization, and being your best self. These pillars provide a roadmap for individuals and leaders to assess and enhance the meaningfulness of their work. Contribution emphasizes the impact of one’s work on the greater good while belonging underscores the importance of community and connection in the workplace. Self-actualization speaks to the personal growth and development that work can foster, and being your best self highlights the alignment of work with one’s core values and strengths.

The Role of Time in Finding Meaning

Bailey’s insights into the temporal aspects of meaningful work are pioneering. She highlights how autonomy and the freedom to manage one's time can significantly influence the sense of fulfillment in one's job. However, her latest research explores how the ability to see past contributions or future impact can all influence perceptions of meaningfulness. Bailey shares a fascinating example of her research with stonemasons repairing centuries-old cathedrals in the UK. By seeing the "banker marks" left by prior workers hundreds of years ago and knowing their marks would be viewed similarly far into the future, stonemasons tend to feel a profound long-term connection to their work.

The Double Edge of Meaningful Work

Bailey points out many positive benefits to individual well-being and organizational performance when people are engaged in meaningful work. Still, there are dark sides to meaningful work, which are essential to be aware of. She highlights two key aspects:

1. Sacrifices for Meaningful Work: Bailey points out that when individuals see their work as deeply meaningful, they might be willing to make detrimental sacrifices to their well-being. This suggests that pursuing meaningful work can sometimes lead to neglecting personal health, work-life balance, or other aspects of life, as the individual becomes overly invested in their work.

2. Existential Labor: Another concept Bailey discusses is "existential labor." This occurs when organizations put intense cultural pressure on employees to find their work meaningful. Employees might be continually told that their work is meaningful and fulfilling. However, if they don't genuinely feel that sense of meaningfulness, they may start acting as if they find their work meaningful when they do not. Existential labor is the act of pretending or performing to meet external expectations. It can be seen as a form of emotional labor where employees must manage and modify their emotions and expressions to align with organizational expectations, even if these do not reflect their true feelings.

Ethical and Practical Insights for Fostering Meaning

Bailey emphasizes the importance of organizations creating an environment that enables individuals to find their version of meaningfulness. Bailey discusses the critical role of leaders in creating an environment where meaningful work is accessible to all. This involves a commitment to ethical leadership practices, prioritizing employee well-being, and aligning organizational goals and job design with espoused values. From a practical standpoint, Bailey suggests ways to embed meaningful work into the fabric of organizational culture. This includes designing roles that provide a sense of significance, encouraging positive interactions among team members, and aligning tasks with a clear and compelling organizational purpose. These strategies are essential for leaders aiming to reconcile personal values with work demands and those seeking to manage stress and prevent team burnout.

Final Thoughts

Katie Bailey’s profound insights on meaningful work remind us that the journey to finding meaning in our professional lives is deeply personal yet universally impactful. Meaningful work is not just about the tasks we perform but also about the environment we cultivate, the relationships we build, and the ethical considerations we uphold.

As professionals and leaders striving for positive change, let's embrace the responsibility of creating an ecosystem where every individual can discover what meaningful work means to them. In doing so, we enhance our experiences and contribute to a culture of well-being and purpose that extends far beyond the walls of our workplaces.

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For those seeking further exploration:

• The Oxford Handbook of Meaningful Work

• Meaning and Purpose Network (MaPNet)

Balancing Meaning and Boundaries: Lessons from Healthcare Professionals with Donna Gaffney

Finding the delicate balance between personal meaning and professional boundaries in our lives can often feel like a tightrope walk. This challenge is particularly palpable in healthcare, where healthcare professionals often find themselves navigating the complexities of life and death, suffering, and healing.

The concept of meaningful work has gained increasing attention in recent years, drawing interest from organizational scholars, psychologists, and those in search of a more profound sense of purpose in their careers. While meaningful work can offer a plethora of benefits, it comes with its own set of unique challenges, especially finding ways of managing the boundaries between work and life.

Donna Gaffney, a seasoned psychotherapist and trauma nurse educator, shares her insights and experiences in her newly published book Courageous Wellbeing for Nurses: Strategies for Renewal.

Donna passionately underscores the transformative power of storytelling within the healthcare realm. She believes that sharing personal narratives not only helps healthcare professionals navigate their emotions but also fosters connections with empathetic peers and breathes purpose into their work.

Amid the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Donna volunteered with the Emotional PPE Project, conducting webinars for nurses on self-compassion and moral distress, later turning these insights into a book celebrating healthcare professionals' resilience. Her book showcases how nurses, initially hesitant, embraced their stories, highlighting their resourcefulness and growth amidst adversity.

The Double-Edged Sword of Meaning

The COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath has posed an unprecedented challenge for healthcare professionals worldwide. The profound meaning they derive from saving lives, paradoxically puts them at risk of boundary inhibition and exploitation. In 2021, healthcare employees experienced the highest levels of overtime in more than a decade with more than 21% of health occupation workers in Canada, engaged in overtime work. On average, they put in 8.2 hours of paid overtime and 5.8 hours of unpaid overtime each week. The relentless pressure to continue delivering care at all costs took a toll on their mental and physical well-being.

However, Donna observed that the nurses' experiences harnessed their skills, talents, and assets to overcome challenges and foster personal and professional growth. Their journey aligned with the six dimensions of well-being, as outlined in Carol Ryff's research:

• Self-acceptance: Nurses embraced their unique qualities and learned self-compassion.

• Positive relationships: They nurtured connections with colleagues and found support within their healthcare community.

• Autonomy: Nurses displayed the courage to set boundaries and say no when necessary.

• Environmental mastery: They adapted to the ever-evolving healthcare landscape and sought ways to make a positive impact.

• Purpose in life: Nurses found renewed purpose in their work, motivating them to persevere.

• Personal growth: Through reflection and storytelling, nurses experienced personal growth and resilience.

Activism and Advocacy:

Donna underscores the transformative power of activism and advocacy within the healthcare profession. Nurses often find meaning and fulfillment by advocating for their patients and communities. Whether it involves pushing for policy changes or participating in grassroots movements, nurses can channel their passion into creating positive change.

Organizational Support:

Donna also acknowledges the pivotal role of organizational support in bolstering the well-being of healthcare professionals. Some hospitals adopted a strategy of rotating nurses to different units every two weeks to prevent burnout. Additionally, organizations can provide platforms for healthcare workers to share their experiences and offer resources for their emotional well-being.

Finding Meaning in Suffering:

Donna's work underscores the value of finding meaning in suffering. Healthcare professionals, like all humans, encounter challenges and distressing situations in their work. By embracing narratives, setting boundaries, and engaging in advocacy, individuals can transform these experiences into sources of personal growth and resilience.

Courageous Wellbeing for Nurses serves as a beacon of hope for healthcare professionals and beyond seeking to navigate the complex terrain of meaningful work and boundaries in their demanding roles. It encourages them to reflect on their experiences, find support within their communities, and practice self-compassion as they continue their vital work in healthcare. Ultimately, it reminds us that healthcare professionals are not superheroes but dedicated individuals who deserve our unwavering support and recognition for their commitment to improving the well-being of others.

In the quest for meaningful work, it's essential to remember that while the rewards can be immense, preserving personal boundaries is equally vital. The insights shared by healthcare professionals offer valuable guidance, emphasizing the significance of self-care, support systems, advocacy, introspection, and clear boundaries. Striking this delicate balance is key to a fulfilling and sustainable career.

Resources

Overview: Impacts of COVID-19 on health care providers | CIHI.

Courageous Well-Being for Nurses | Hopkins Press

Meaningful Work, Well-Being, and Health: Enacting a Eudaimonic Vision