Dec 02 2024 17 mins 1
In Episode 230 of Anecdotally Speaking discover how purpose and storytelling can skyrocket performance.
In Episode 230 of Anecdotally Speaking, Shawn shares a research story led by Adam Grant that demonstrates the profound impact of connecting people with purpose.
Conducted in a call centre, this study revealed that reminding employees of the meaningful outcomes of their work doubled their productivity and fundraising success.
Mark and Shawn delve into the power of storytelling as a tool to connect teams with purpose, discuss the balance needed to avoid overdoing purpose messaging and explore why stories make a difference in boosting morale and performance.
They also share practical applications for leaders aiming to inspire their teams.
Find out more about our 2025 events here
References:
Grant, A. M. (2008). The significance of task significance: Job performance effects, relational mechanisms, and boundary conditions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 108-124.
Grant, A. M., & Schwartz, B. (2011). Too much of a good thing: The challenge and opportunity of the inverted U. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 61–76.
For your story bank
Tags: Purpose, Productivity, Leadership, Engagement, Employee Engagement
This story starts at 1:07
In 2008, Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton School, conducted a study to explore the concept of task significance—the idea that understanding the meaning behind your work can improve performance.
The setting was a university fundraising call centre. Workers in this call centre made cold calls to alumni, seeking donations to support student scholarships. Grant decided to divide the workers into three groups and test whether connecting them to the purpose of their work could influence their performance.
Group 1 was reminded of the personal benefits of their job, such as the money they earned, the skills they developed, and the experiences they gained.
Group 2 was exposed to stories about the impact of their work on others. They heard real-life accounts from scholarship recipients, describing how the funds raised had changed their lives, enabling them to achieve their dreams.
Group 3 was the control group. These workers weren’t given any additional information or reminders.
The results were remarkable. For the first and third groups—those reminded of personal benefits or given no reminders at all—there was no significant change in their performance. But for the second group, the one exposed to meaningful stories, the results were extraordinary.
Workers in this group more than doubled the amount of money they raised and secured significantly more pledges. They also made more calls, showing not just improved effectiveness but a greater willingness to work harder.
This simple act of sharing stories about the meaningful outcomes of their efforts created a sense of purpose that transformed their motivation and productivity.
A follow-up study was conducted in 2011, which revealed an important nuance: while sharing stories and connecting people to purpose is powerful, it’s possible to overdo it. If organisations overemphasise the impact or repeatedly highlight the same stories, employees can feel manipulated, leading to diminished results. This creates a “mountain effect” where performance increases initially but eventually declines if the message becomes excessive.
In Episode 230 of Anecdotally Speaking, Shawn shares a research story led by Adam Grant that demonstrates the profound impact of connecting people with purpose.
Conducted in a call centre, this study revealed that reminding employees of the meaningful outcomes of their work doubled their productivity and fundraising success.
Mark and Shawn delve into the power of storytelling as a tool to connect teams with purpose, discuss the balance needed to avoid overdoing purpose messaging and explore why stories make a difference in boosting morale and performance.
They also share practical applications for leaders aiming to inspire their teams.
Find out more about our 2025 events here
References:
Grant, A. M. (2008). The significance of task significance: Job performance effects, relational mechanisms, and boundary conditions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 108-124.
Grant, A. M., & Schwartz, B. (2011). Too much of a good thing: The challenge and opportunity of the inverted U. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 61–76.
For your story bank
Tags: Purpose, Productivity, Leadership, Engagement, Employee Engagement
This story starts at 1:07
In 2008, Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton School, conducted a study to explore the concept of task significance—the idea that understanding the meaning behind your work can improve performance.
The setting was a university fundraising call centre. Workers in this call centre made cold calls to alumni, seeking donations to support student scholarships. Grant decided to divide the workers into three groups and test whether connecting them to the purpose of their work could influence their performance.
Group 1 was reminded of the personal benefits of their job, such as the money they earned, the skills they developed, and the experiences they gained.
Group 2 was exposed to stories about the impact of their work on others. They heard real-life accounts from scholarship recipients, describing how the funds raised had changed their lives, enabling them to achieve their dreams.
Group 3 was the control group. These workers weren’t given any additional information or reminders.
The results were remarkable. For the first and third groups—those reminded of personal benefits or given no reminders at all—there was no significant change in their performance. But for the second group, the one exposed to meaningful stories, the results were extraordinary.
Workers in this group more than doubled the amount of money they raised and secured significantly more pledges. They also made more calls, showing not just improved effectiveness but a greater willingness to work harder.
This simple act of sharing stories about the meaningful outcomes of their efforts created a sense of purpose that transformed their motivation and productivity.
A follow-up study was conducted in 2011, which revealed an important nuance: while sharing stories and connecting people to purpose is powerful, it’s possible to overdo it. If organisations overemphasise the impact or repeatedly highlight the same stories, employees can feel manipulated, leading to diminished results. This creates a “mountain effect” where performance increases initially but eventually declines if the message becomes excessive.
