The Future of Work: How Employee Transformation Is the Next Frontier in Employee Engagement
As leaders seek to attract the best talent, I believe it’s time to set the bar higher. Instead of treating employees like assets, what if organizations were committed to helping them achieve self-transformation - becoming the best versions of themselves?
‘The Transformation Economy’ is an idea first posited by Joe Pine and James Gilmore in their book ‘The Experience Economy’ as the natural evolution of how customer needs are being met.
It can be summarized simply as the following:
‘Commodities are extracted, products are manufactured, services are provided, and experiences are curated. Transformations, however, are guided.
The focus shifts from mere enjoyment to personal growth. In the transformation economy, the ultimate product is a new and improved you.’
The Transformation Economy | JOSEPH PINE
It’s something we’ve seen in consumer-facing brands for a while now. Nike isn’t just in the business of selling shoes, it’s in the business of transforming you into an athlete. Goop isn’t just in the business of selling eye treatments and lip balms; it’s about transforming you into the most self-actualized (and stylish) version of yourself.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs with Self-Transcendence as the highest goal | CREATIVE COMMONS
The Transformation Economy is not opposed to the Experience Economy; it is its natural evolution, driven by consumers' increasing desire to achieve the highest tier of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: self-transcendence.
When it comes to the field of employee engagement, we have seen the same evolution: from treating employees as ‘extractive commodities’ (think about the outdated term ‘human resources’) to a ‘services-lead’ approach (think about that Silicon Valley boom in giving their employees free food and free massages).
And when it comes to ‘experiences’, the current tussle around hybrid work is a perfect example of two different ideas of what an ideal working ‘experience’ should be: by and large, most employees want to work from the comfort of their home, minus the stress of a daily commute, while employers want to maintain a ‘command and control’ approach and fill their expensive commercial real estate sitting empty in city centers.
But as we researched our upcoming book on how to design a meaningful and prosperous career, 'The Good is the New Cool Guide to Personal Purpose’ (available to pre-order on Amazon now), we realized that there is a new paradigm shift approaching. Companies who want to win the war for the best talent need to go beyond giving them just ‘services’ and ‘experiences’. They need to be in the personal transformation business, helping their employees achieve ‘self-transcendence’ and become the best versions of themselves.
The starting point for this employee transformation is Purpose: helping take employees on a journey to not only understand their own personal Purpose - but find deep areas of engagement and connection with the Purpose of their company. From there, employers can offer many paths to help their employees achieve this self-transcendence, customizing to their individual needs.
At Conspiracy of Love, we take our clients like Sephora, American Family Insurance and many others on this journey through our transformative GPS to Purpose Workshops which create spaces to explore and align employee and corporate purpose.
For instance, employees who desire more meaning in their work can form employee resource groups, helping positively change the culture for their fellow team members. In fact, done right, this work can even transform every day employees into ‘Intrapreneurs’; dedicated and passionate employees who think innovatively about ways to help their organizations grow with impact.
Once these areas of deep meaning and overlap are in place, it is about constantly finding ways to nurture and support their employees in a way that balances well-being and work. Whether it’s learning and development programs, or coaching and mental health resources, those employers that genuinely care about investing in their employees in a non-performative way are the ones best positioned to get the best of them.
In conclusion, I believe moving to an ‘Employee Transformation’ mindset represents a fundamental shift in the contract between employers and employees; one that is long overdue in this age of new expectations from new generations like Gen Z and Millennials entering the workforce.
In fact, in the age of AI, it is even more important than ever before to treat employees as humans, not assets: empathizing with what is most important to them: belonging, safety, inclusion, and purpose.
Dan Wieden, founder of the advertising agency Wieden Kennedy once famously said, “I want to create a place where people do the best work of their lives.”
I have a different proposition to offer: what if employers tried to create places of work where people could LIVE their best lives? I believe that would result in happier, more engaged and ultimately more productive employees: a win-win situation for everyone.
When considering how you are approaching your people and talent, ask yourself this: do you have an Employee Transformation strategy in place?
