A Theory of Perceived Impact at Work:A Theory of Perceived Impact at Work:

How Making a Difference Makes a DifferenceHow Making a Difference Makes a Difference

Adam M. Grant

Doctoral Student, Organizational Psychology

University of Michigan

Acknowledgements of ImpactAcknowledgements of Impact

Rick Price Jane Dutton Fiona Lee Brian Little Ryan Quinn Gretchen Spreitzer Kathie Sutcliffe Amy Wrzesniewski Org Psych and M&O

PhD students

Amy Bass Beth Campbell Keenan Cottone Christy Flanagan Claire Kemerling David Lapedis Karen Lee Emily McMorris Ginelle Nagel Jordan Powell QLIF

OverviewOverview

Part I: Perceived Impact Theory

Part II: Empirical Findings and Dilemmas

Satisfaction-PerformanceSatisfaction-Performance

“Holy Grail” (Landy, 1989)

Judge et al. (2001): 7 models

My perspective:– What are the tractable enablers that align the

two?– How to promote both satisfaction and

performance?

From the literature…From the literature…

– Purpose

–Competence

–Feeling Valued

–Positive Mood

Performance

Satisfaction

PurposeCompetence

Feeling ValuedPos. Mood??

Antecedents?Antecedents?

We know much about how these motivating psychological states (MPS) contribute to performance and satisfaction…

But far less about their antecedents

– Especially little about their common antecedents

“To make others happier and better is the highest ambition, the most elevating hope, which can inspire a human being.” -John Lubbock

Human capacity for impact motivation– Evolutionary perspective– Socialization perspective

Perceived Impact TheoryPerceived Impact Theory

All work makes a difference in others’ lives

“Obviously I don't stay for the money, loyalty to the company or because the job is easy. I stay because of the warm feeling I get helping these people grow.” -Caregiver

“A lot of times, we’re able to do makeovers on people that can transform their lives. I mean, I’ve seen people who, by changing their hair, could change their whole outlook on life, their whole attitude. Our job is to make people look good and feel better about themselves, and I think that’s a great profession to have.” -Hairdresser

Impact perceptions influence…Impact perceptions influence…

Relationships with tasks– Purpose, Competence

Relationships with other people– Feeling valued

Mood

Past researchPast researchJob Characteristics Model

–Task significance unrelated to performance and sporadically related to satisfaction

Hackman & Oldham, 1976; Fried & Ferris, 1987; Dodd & Ganster, 1996

Enter Perceived Impact Theory (Grant, 2004)

Passive recipients of static, objective jobs “In job”

Agentic crafters of dynamic work “At work”

Impact contributes only to experienced meaning

Impact promotes a system of motivating psychological states

Unclear what dimension of impact measured

Multidimensional conception of impact

Perceived Perceived ImpactImpact

Task Task SignificanceSignificance

The Perceived Impact ConstructThe Perceived Impact Construct

Five facets of perceived impact:

– Magnitude………………. How significant?

– Frequency……………….. How often?

– Scope…………………… How many people?– Tangibility……………… How concrete?

– Personal importance Do the beneficiaries

of beneficiaries………… matter to you?

The PI ModelThe PI Model

Performance

Satisfaction

PurposeCompetence

Feeling ValuedPos. Mood

Magnitude

Frequency

Scope

Visibility

Beneficiaries

P I

PI Facets

Part II: Empirical FindingsPart II: Empirical Findings

Research questions

– Do employees’ impact perceptions matter?

– If so, how and why?

Brief summary of field findingsBrief summary of field findings

Impact perceptions predict longitudinally…– MPS and satisfaction for firefighters

– MPS, satisfaction, and performance for student telemarketers

– Subjective job worth and affective organizational commitment for professional caregivers and home managers

Lab ExperimentLab Experiment

2 x 2 between-subjects design (n=122)

We’ve learned that undergrads are good at editing each other’s job application cover letters

We want to better understand this process

You have 35 minutes to edit two cover letters that a student, “Eric Sorensen,” has written

Tangibility ManipulationTangibility Manipulation

Low – Experimenter hands the participant a Career

Center Information sheet that “Eric” has filled out

High– “Eric” is waiting outside the room, and hands

the sheet to the experimenter

Participant sees Eric, the beneficiary of the task

Magnitude ManipulationMagnitude Manipulation

Low– “Eric” has written on the form that he is

looking for extra spending money

High– “Eric” has written on the form that he

desperately needs a job to pay for school

SynopsisSynopsis

Manipulated participants’ perceptions of the impact that this editing task has on “Eric” and those close to him

Will task enjoyment and/or effort change as a function of manipulations?

After the task, measured MPS as mediators

ResultsResults2x2 ANOVAs

– Tangibility Purpose Competence Value Positive Mood Task Enjoyment

– Tangibility-Magnitude Interaction Time spent # words replaced, controlling for time spent

Interaction effect of Tangibility/Magnitude (F= 4.51, p < .04) on time spent

27.3426.73

25.79

30.49

232425262728293031

Low Low Low Mag,High Tang

High Mag,Low Tang

High High

Mediational AnalysesMediational Analyses

Tangibility Enjoyment– Mediated by Purpose, Competence, Positive

Mood

Tangibility-Magnitude interaction Effort– No significant mediators

Thus…Thus…

Tangibility motivating psychological states enjoyment

Tangibility-Magnitude interaction

time invested and productivity

Preliminary ConclusionsPreliminary Conclusions

Causal impact of impact perceptions on enjoyment and effort

– PI Tangibility leads to enjoyment through the MPS

– Beyond main effects: both PI Magnitude and Tangibility may be necessary to promote task effort (and hence performance)

Study 2Study 2

Field experiment online– Measure importance of beneficiaries

Lesson plan teacher has written for students: Importance of brushing teeth

Ask participants to give feedbackMeasure enjoyment, effort, MPS

Magnitude ManipulationMagnitude Manipulation

Low– Students already brush their teeth;

teacher is required to give the lesson.

High– Students are in low-income areas of Harlem

and aren’t aware of the importance of brushing teeth. Teacher cares deeply.

Tangibility ManipulationsTangibility Manipulations

Low: no additional information

High: two candidates– Pictures of students– Specific info on how the students will benefit

Thoughts?

Study 3 and beyond…Study 3 and beyond…

2 x 2 of multiple tangibility manipulations to demonstrate identical effects?

Focus on other PI facets?

“Thank you for your ideas and feedback!”

Limitations and Future DirectionsLimitations and Future Directions

Impact is not a panaceaDifferent facets, different contexts/outcomesModerating VariablesTypes of ImpactNegative ImpactPositive Illusions and Destructive DelusionsImpact Awareness Interventions