Progress Principle, The

I read an advance copy of The Progress Principle several months back, and I just went back and read the book again. I am even more impressed this time than the last. Four things struck me in particular: 1. While most management books are based on anecdotes, the biased recollections of some famous executives, or on research that is presented as rigorous (but are not... Good to Great is a perfect example), the Progress Principle is based on the most rigorous field study ever done of creative work. And it draws on other rigorous work as well. As a result, the overall advice about the importance of small wins may be known to many people, but once you start digging into the smaller bits of advice about how to keep work moving along, the evidence behind those is very strong. In my view, the Progress Principle is the best example of an evidence-based management book I have ever seen. 2. The authors didn't drown in their rigor and the details of their work. They worked absurdly hard to write a book that is quite engaging to read and chock full with one implication after another about what you can do right now to do more effective work and to motivate it in the people around you. 3. Finally, the main point of this book may seem obvious to some readers, but if you listen to most management gurus and fancy consulting firms, the approach that the authors suggest is actually radically different. The broad sweep of strategy and radical change and big hairy goals is where much of modern management advice focuses, yet the finding from this book that it is relentless attention to the little things and the seemingly trivial moments in organizational life that real makes for greatness is not something that most leaders and their advisers get, yet it is the hallmark of our most creative companies like Pixar, Apple, Google, IDEO and the like. The implication of The Progress Principle, for example, that management training should focus on how to deal with the little interactions and smallest decisions -- and that is what makes for great leaders and organizations -- would, if taken seriously, mean completely revamping the way that management is taught throughout the world. This book isn't a bag of breathless hype, it doesn't make grand and shocking claims, and it doesn't promise instant results. But it is fun and easy to read, it is as strongly grounded in evidence as any business book ever written, and it is relentlessly useful because it points to little things that managers, team members, and everyone else can do day after day to spark creativity and well-being. And it shows how those little things add-up to big victories in the end. I believe it is one of the most important business books ever written. In the name of full disclosure, I am friends with the authors and did endorse the book. But I am friends with a lot of authors, but when they write bad books, I decline endorsement requests, and as I did very recently, let them know that I think their books aren't very good. Yes, I am biased, but I believe that this book deserves to be a #1 bestseller.

I really thought that this book would focus more on strategies for those who work versus what leadership can do. This would be good for leadership in any field. It’s more of analytical essay with some suggestions, but overall it’s a way to convince leadership on the progress principle. There are some things that are suggested that I will use such as the journaling (along with the questions) and the questionnaire for workers to do. Hopefully there will be a book in the future that can be for workers in any field. I’m in the education field and also an independent author.

It is always a good sign in reading a book when the early chapters prompt me to think about colleagues and friends to whom I will want to send a copy of the book. Such was the case when I began reading "The Progress Principle." Teresa Amabile and her husband, Steven Kramer, have assembled the results of in-depth research into the small wins that make the difference between effective workplace environments and those that are less than optimal. Using sanitized journal entries by individuals who noted the interactions with team members and management in a variety of companies, the authors present a very convincing case for paying attention to the inner emotional life of workers as a key metric for predicting success of the team and the company. In analyzing over 12,000 journal entries, Amabile and Kramer describe the challenges that a manager faces in encouraging and pointing out small and incremental steps of progress in a team setting. The evidence shows that many mangers and leaders assume that highly qualified team members do not need this kind of "coddling," when in fact every human being needs to sense that what they are doing day by day is contributing something of value, and that their contribution is both noticed and appreciated. One very practical aspect of this book is the discussion about using checklists to ensure that a manager is tracking both catalysts and inhibitors to productivity and satisfaction among their team members. The authors cite the work of a very successful surgeon who found tremendous improvement in his rate of success when he developed and employed checklists to use in surgery: "If you are like most of the surgeons that Gawande tried to convince to use his checklist - or even like Gawande himself - you will think the checklist is beneath you. Surely you are far too expert to need such a simplistic crutch. But it's precisely because you are an expert and therefore have so many things to think about, that taking five minutes for the checklist can be so important. We know from our own experience, and from that of many leaders we have spoken to, just how easy it is to become overwhelmed by the pressures of work and to lose track of those little successes that will eventually lead to that next breakthrough. It's even easier to ignore those little setbacks that can derail." (Pages 172-3) These insights align perfectly with similar points that are raised in the recently published "The Organized Mind" by Dr. Daniel J. Livitin. He proposed that in an age of information overload, the more we can successfully outsource data to external tools and instruments - like checklists - the more we can make use of cognitive energy for important decision-making and creative thinking. As a pilot, I was trained early in the game to use checklists to make sure that nothing was omitted in doing a pre-flight a inspection or a run through of all of the cockpit instruments prior to taxiing for takeoff. In collecting and commenting on these anecdotes from a variety of companies, the authors have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the small daily steps that we can take in making ourselves and our colleagues more productive and more satisfied in our work as we make progress toward the completion of significant achievements. This book will be a good addition to the personal and professional library of anyone who strives for excellence in their work.

The book is fairly short and has a central idea that seems somewhat obvious. People are motivated by measurable (or perceivable) progress. Small wins even in small matters can make people want to achieve more. The author provides a video game example in which players are motivated to play more because the games are designed to provide visual and reward-based feedback for making progress. In first-shooter games, for example, a player is maybe given better weapons for making progress in his/her video game skills and achievements etc. OK, but I don't consider that idea earth-shattering as some reviewers seems to believe. Break-through book this book quite isn't. Rather, it is a good managerial supplemental text. I recommend it only if you read a lot of managerial books and think you can benefit for reading a decent, but not a good, additional book.

Subtitled Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, this book is an excellent example of what I like to call "uncommon sense," insights that seem to be patently obvious but are simply not observed. Describing the powerful impact of what the authors call Inner Work Life, they quote - "Managers can't help but influence subordinate's inner work lives; the only question is how." The authors' research involved reading and analyzing 11,637 diaries from 238 individuals in 26 teams across a wide spectrum of businesses and industries. The results are shared in comparison of a number of companies (all disguised by pseudonyms) and are supported with a number of articles first published in the Harvard Business Review. Rich with practical insights, some of the key findings include: * Inner Work Life is a combination of one's perceptions, emotions and motivation. * These issues are constantly impacted by workday events, impacting individual performance. * Positive emotions have been shown to be directly related to better creative problem-solving. * The Progress Principle (identifying small wins) can create the Progress Loop, a self-reinforcing process where progress and inner work life fuel each other. * Progress in meaningful work was the most powerful in enhancing inner work life, while setbacks were the strongest negative factor. * Research showed that the vast majority of managers rated support for making meaningful progress dead last as a motivator (!?), * The impact of negative effects of any size far outweighed the impact of the effect of something positive. Individuals spent more time in their diaries describing these negative events and recalled them more intensely than positive events. * The key catalysts for positive inner work life were identified as 1) setting clear goals, 2) allowing autonomy, 3) providing resources, 4)giving enough time - but not too much, 5), help with the work, 6) learning from problems and successes, and 7) allowing ideas to flow. * Catalysts and/or Inhibitors are shaped by the positive or negative side of 1) consideration for people and their ideas, 2) coordination and 3) communication. * The "local" sources of catalyst factors (team leaders and co-workers) have a much stronger impact on inner work life than the "broad" sources (top level managers and organizational systems). * The four major nourishers for inner work life are 1) respect, 2) encouragement, 3) emotional support and 4) affiliation. This excellent resource closes with some do/don't lists for Team Leaders as well as a check list (in the chapter At the End of the Day) to aid in reviewing daily progress in relation to Catalysts/Inhibitors, Nourishers/Toxins, as well as evaluating Inner Work Life and any Action Plans for the next day.

This is full of common sense. With a little bit of effort we can impact our own progress and that of our colleagues.

"The Progress Principle", by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, qualifies as a must read for anyone involved with knowledge work and especially for those who lead, manage or facilitate knowledge work. Every knowledge worker would benefit from a better understanding of the components and dynamics of their "Inner Work Life" - i.e. gaining insights into how certain "Emotions", "Motivations" and "Perceptions" interact. People managers can apply the Progress Principle to accomplish more, with higher certainty, and less friction - i.e. "... to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of each individual", as the authors aptly quoted Peter Drucker. "The daily progress checklist, TABLE 8 - 1", gives managers an excellent reference for studiously avoiding "Setbacks", "Inhibitors" and "Toxins", while orchestrating "Progress" and managing the "Catalyst" and "Nourishment" factors. The relationships between front line managers and their direct reports constitute the points of maximum focus and leverage for talent management. Moreover, these same points are where the responsibility for progress and results already resides - i.e. affording tremendous potential for thoughtful and purposeful talent management initiatives, born of enlightened self-interest. Business leaders should internalize The Progress Principle and the implications of both the positive and negative forms of The Progress Loop. Great leaders routinely make substantial and universally positive contributions to what the authors call the "main climate forces" of "Consideration", "Coordination" and "Communication". Upper-middle managers should become subject matter experts in the knowhow of The Progress Principle, in order capably mentor front-line managers and insightfully advise business leaders. This notion borrows from Ikujiro Nonoka's Middle-Up-Down management concepts. HR Professionals should embrace The Progress Principle insights to help shape organizational policies, procedures and practices in directions that foster positive Progress Loop forms and curtail negative forms. The Progress Principle complements other thought leaders' talent management contributions, superbly, and adds special value with its direct linkage to in-depth empirical research. Moreover, The Progress Principle evidences the simplicity, transparency and accountability that successful talent management initiatives demand, while leaving ample room for individual people managers to apply their specific strengths and knowledge to the orchestration of progress. Well done Teresa and Steven!

Employee engagement and morale decline again. Few anticipate their jobs will be a source of satisfaction. Something big is going on. The Progress Principle is key to understanding it. When your employees' major output is intellectual (and this book is based primarily on knowledge workers) why do people give of their intellectual energy, creativity, and passion? Based upon 12,000 diary entries by workers in several businesses coded for perceptive, emotional, and motivational content, Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer uncover the answer. First, workplace motivation must be internal. They call it the internal work life. Motivation comes from nourishing that internal work life resulting in happy workers. How do we best nourish internal work life? With small wins, by making progress, even small progress, in meaningful work. How do we kill it? With setbacks, inhibitors and toxins. One of the issues this brings up for leaders is organizational bounds within which we create a protected environment of trust and collaboration and the boundary at which that turns to competition. Some leadership writers have advocated a very competitive environment where trust ends and competition begins at your skin. The evidence here, however, is that creating a more trusting, nourishing environment of collaboration results in improved work output. It may be the most important reason organizations exist. The book left me with this bigger question: why are the actions of most managers instinctively harmful in this new environment? They persist with inappropriate motivators that have been shown to lower creativity output. They have been brought up on the idea that being a leader means turning others into followers, and this just doesn't work. For more, see leader-leader.org.

Excellent book on how to motivate your team

Uso para reflexões e ensino sobre criatividade, sendo a obra e o pensamento principalmente de Amabile, sobre criatividade no ambiente de trabalho muito importantes.

I just love this book. I read it again from time to time when I feel like needing a kick...

I bought this eBook for reference purposes after listening to the Audible audiobook, which I found deeply helpful. The book is full of gold-dust insight for managers and for managers-of-one - it has made sense of so many small incidents in my career which had a surprisingly large impact (both good and bad).

El libro me ha resultado muy útil e inspirador para reflexionar sobre lo que de verdad nos mueve a dar lo mejor de nosotros mismos. Me ha parecido muy consistente el planteamiento de la importancia de "la vida interior" como la combinación de las percepciones, motivaciones y sentimientos que nos genera lo que nos sucede en el día y muy revelados el "principio del progreso" en un trabajo con sentido como principal motivador de las personas. Un libro muy recomendable para todos aquello que trabajamos con personas.