The Significance of Flow to Workplace Engagement
When you have passion for your career, you have a sense of connection between the tasks you perform and the bigger picture. Your attention is focused, and the world seems to fade from your awareness. Time passes unnoticed. You feel energized, moving forward based on your skills and instinct. You are engaged.
In the study of creativity and happiness, this is known as "flow." Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi recognized this psychological concept, noting that we are at our happiest in the state of flow. When we achieve flow, the temporal concerns of time and self pass unnoticed. In a state of flow, we feel fulfillment.
Understanding the Concept and Significance of Flow
Artists and performers experience flow when practicing and rehearsing their craft. Dancers, musicians, and actors perform complex tasks that balance between skill and challenge. With rehearsal and performance, there is a connection between the task and the goal. At the end, at the curtain, there is feedback and reinforcement. The feedback ties the art to the emotional response of the performer.
When you are thoroughly immersed in an enjoyable, challenging activity, you are living in the moment, no distractions, no worries, no interruptions. Like the practiced performer, you find flow. Flow consists of ten distinct components:
Possessing a clear vision of what you are working to achieve
A feeling of being completely absorbed in your activity
Finding time passes quickly
The balance between skill and challenge
A sense of personal control over your task
A feeling that the task is rewarding
Losing the conscious feeling of self
The ability to concentrate for a sustained amount of time
Lacking awareness of your bodily needs
Direct and immediate feedback
It is not necessary for all these factors of flow to be in place for flow to occur. But when you are immersed in activity, understand the impact of your efforts, and achieve a balance between skill and challenge, you will find it.
When flow occurs, you may notice an increased sense of engagement and workplace satisfaction.
The Absence of Flow Decreases Employee Engagement
If the tasks you perform in the workplace are too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur. In the absence of flow, time moves slowly, and your thoughts interrupt your focus. Without flow, you are self-aware and conscious of every step needed to perform your task. Working without flow may leave you feeling undervalued, unappreciated, and disengaged.
Disengaged people are often complacent, indifferent and may contribute with half-hearted efforts. If you are not feeling fulfilled in your current position, if you feel undervalued or under appreciated you have three choices. You can accept your situation, you can change your situation, or you can move on and hope for greener pastures.
Taking Control of Your Workplace Engagement
Many employees who leave a job, do so because they see little opportunity for personal growth or continuation of their development. Feeling disconnected often prompts workers to search for new challenges and personal fulfillment.
Although it may be tempting to assume the nature of the job or the employer is to blame for a workers lack of enthusiasm, it may be more beneficial for employees to look within themselves to evaluate the decline of their passion. While many people look to outside influences, such as their supervisors or mentors, to fuel their level of engagement, flow and engagement are often driven by internal forces. With a bit of effort, these driving forces can be reestablished.
Increasing Engagement to Enhance Career Satisfaction
When you take the reins, the responsibility for your own engagement, you find more ways to bring your talents and aspirations to the workplace. You know what you choose to accomplish and have a plan for the day. You understand your role within your organization and how to help your employer achieve their purpose.
Here are several methods of increasing your level of engagement to increase your level of job satisfaction:
Set your Own Goals
Without a goal your work has little purpose. While an employer will typically indicate where your goals should be, many managers are underdeveloped in setting or communicating organizational goals.
Take the initiative to set personal goals. Define your goals and the steps you need to take to see your goals to completion. Setting goals is a necessary skill for achieving flow. Your goals should set challenges, without causing you to feel overwhelmed.
Reshape Your Current Role
While you may not have complete control over your current tasks and responsibilities, your input may carry more weight than you realize. If you can visualize how your talents could better serve your employers needs, bring your insights to the table.
Try to think of your job as part of a whole for your company, rather than a list of compartmentalized tasks. Your unique interests and abilities may prove mutually beneficial to your employer and your career. Knowing you are utilizing your potential will increase your level of job satisfaction.
Contribute to Make a Difference
When an individual contributes to another person or to benefit a group, they reach their highest levels of engagement. Find a way to use your untapped skills to benefit Look for opportunities to assist new-hires, participate in orientation, or volunteer to mentor.
You will renew your engagement and your value by aligning your current job to activities with a higher purpose. In doing so, you may find your current employment better suited to your skills and your needs.
Seek Growth and Continue Learning
Learning stimulates your brain and opens new opportunities. Learning fuels engagement and flow because it provides a challenge. Training and career development are an effective means of establishing engagement.
Take advantage of any development or training opportunities offered by your company. Many employers also provide tuition reimbursement for courses or programs from outside sources.
Foster a Sense of Community
Define the meaning and purpose of each person you interact with on the job. Build more fulfilling relationships with your coworkers by expressing your appreciation. Studies indicate that those who feel connected to their coworkers are generally happier in their jobs, feeling a higher level of engagement when they have friends in the workplace. You could take this a step further by initiating social events to help unite your team.
Too little challenge in the workplace can leave even the most career-oriented people feeling apathetic and undervalued. Defining your goals, changing the way you think of your job, and challenging yourself can reignite your enthusiasm for your work and lead you on the path to flow. When you achieve flow, time moves quickly, you enjoy your tasks, and may find a renewed sense of professional satisfaction.