The paradox of work

You don't have to be an elite runner to feel what is commonly referred to as a "runner's high", that brief state of euphoria which can occur after either a long period of continuous, moderate-intensity exercise (classically for a long-distance run, hence the name) or even short bursts of high-intensity exercise.  Elite athletes often talk about being "in the zone", a similar term to "runner's high" that describes a state of intense focus and peak performance.  The cognitive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi conducted research beginning in the 1970's on a similar concept that he called "flow".  Csikszentmihalyi said in 1990, "The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."

Csikszentmihalyi described flow as a state of "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost."  There's a whole body of research in the field known as positive psychology on "flow", and Csikszentmihalyi wrote an excellent book on the subject (one of many actually), now considered a classic, entitled (appropriately enough), Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.

While "flow" is certainly a fascinating topic, what's perhaps most interesting to me is a related concept called the "paradox of work" based upon a study ("Optimal Experience in Work and Leisure") performed by Csikszentmihalyi with his colleague Judith LeFevre published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 1989.  Csikszentmihalyi and LeFevre gave workers (107 participants completed the study) from five large companies in Chicago an electronic pager that would beep at seven random moments throughout the day, at which time study participants were instructed to complete a short questionnaire (note that this particular method of research is called "experience sampling method" or ESM).  They described their current activity, mood, psychological state, sense of motivation, engagement, level of boredom, etc.  

The results they found were surprising.  Study participants reported feeling happier, more fulfilled by what they were doing, less anxious, and more highly motivated while they were at work compared to when they were at leisure.  In their free leisure time, they tended to feel bored and anxious.  In other words, they experienced flow more than three times as often during work compared to when they were at home away from work.  If you think about it, that at least makes some sense on the surface.  While work can be stressful at times, it can also be challenging, motivating, and fulfilling.  

Csikszentmihalyi and LeFevre were also able to determine what specific activities the participants were engaged in when they were experiencing "flow" (i.e., when they were in the zone).  In general, participants were more likely to be experiencing "flow" when they were spending time on challenging activities, such as problem-solving or fixing things at work.  Perhaps not surprising, time spent at home watching television was typically not associated with experiencing "flow".

Even though activities conducive to flow were much more frequent at work, participants stated that they were less happy when they were at work and would rather be at home.  When they were on the job, they expressed a strong desire to be off the job, and when they were off the job, the last thing they wanted was to go back to work.  These results seem particularly counterintuitive, which is why Csikszentmihalyi and others have labeled these findings the "paradox of work" (these findings have been replicated in other studies - see, for example, the study by Stefan Engeser and Nicola Baumann in the Journal of Happiness Studies).

The logical follow-up question is how to explain these findings.  Csikszentmihalyi and LeFevre suggested that the obligatory nature of work may mask the positive experience that typically comes while experiencing a state of flow.  In other words, people make judgements based upon social convention as opposed to their actual feelings.  The concerning conclusion to this suggestion is that people will continue to try to do more of those activities (i.e. leisure activities) that provide the least positive experiences and avoid those activities (i.e. work) that do - in other words, at the societal level there will be a mass exodus from the most productive activities in favor of the leisure ones.

All of this is very interesting, if not somewhat disturbing. Csikszentmihalyi and LeFevre suggest a couple of potential ways to mitigate against the paradox.  First, they suggest that merely knowing about the paradox of work will help individuals overcome the social conventions against work.  I'm not sure if this is very realistic unfortunately.  Second, they recommend that we try to focus more on the kinds of leisure activities that generate flow and avoid the ones that don't.  While this may certainly help our overall emotional states, I'm not sure it addresses the need to motivate people at work.

I realize that this is an older study, but as I mentioned, the findings have been replicated in more contemporary studies using similar methods.  I at least thought that the study warranted further discussion.  Based on what I've learned about flow, I might suggest a couple of ways for leaders to try to create conditions at work that are conducive to flow.  First, we need to be clear about what we are trying to accomplish and provide immediate and transparent feedback.  Second, we need to make sure that individuals are appropriately matched from a knowledge and skills standpoint to the task at hand.  Challenging tasks are more conducive to flow, but only when individuals feel that they have the necessary skills to meet the challenge.  "Stretch" goals are great, but goals shouldn't be completely out of reach either.  Third, we know that focus is just as important as clarity.  Goals should be as specific as possible and limited in number and scope.  Finally, we need to provide individuals with enough autonomy that they feel as if they are in control of the situation at hand.  With these caveats in mind, we can create the conditions that will help our teams "get in the zone"!