Coach on the alternative to the purpose hype

Dusseldorf “Purpose”, i.e. charging one’s own work with meaning, is currently a big topic in many companies. There is the growing Generation Z, who expects more from their work than “just” making money. The start-ups that advertise with the “impact” that the job has for them – be it social or that you can make a difference in the company yourself. And the corona pandemic has also made many people no longer want to simply waste their working hours – if you do work, then please do it wisely.

Klaus Eidenschink is a graduate psychologist and theologian, he has also been advising companies and couples as a coach for many years. In the Handelsblatt podcast Rethink Work, he explains why, from his point of view, the hype about “purpose-driven organizations” is a fashion for consultants. It’s not all bad, but “if we expect too much, the misfortune is programmed,” says Eidenschink.

In his work, the coach observes that the purpose of companies is often used as a management and marketing tool – but companies, driven by their own purpose, are often not capable of conflict.

“It’s like in a couple relationship, where at the beginning everyone promises to be prince charming or princess charming. And little by little it gets a bit cloudy.” If these organizations then suddenly had to communicate to their employees that something wasn’t working or that the purpose had changed, there would be a direct crisis of faith. At the same time, “those of other faiths” often find it difficult to express criticism in these organizations – since they are directly accused of not being passionate enough about the cause.

As a graduate theologian, Eidenschink sees the search for meaningful work above all as a zeitgeist issue. “100 years ago, no one would have thought that organizations should create meaning. You experienced the meaning of going to church on Sunday.”

At the same time, we are also experiencing right now how quickly a purpose can change. Eidenschink tells of the advice given to a Rheinmetall employee who used to prefer to keep his work secret. “Just because the context has changed, he’s suddenly being slapped on the back by people who previously denied him the moral high school.”

What is the alternative to the purpose hype?

With regard to bosses in purpose-driven organizations, Eidenschink says: “Of course, it’s great for managers, because nothing is more attractive to lead than a completely intrinsically motivated employee whose only potential risk is a degree of self-exploitation, so that he day, so to speak and worked through the night and at some point breaks down.” It is then the job of the managers to prevent the employees from burning out in such a way – which does not always work, keyword readiness for conflict.

In the current episode of Handelsblatt Rethink Work, you can hear to what extent Eidenschink himself benefits as a consultant from the same “consultant fashion” on the subject of purpose and what, from his point of view, would be an alternative to meaningful work.

More: You can hear the previous episode of Handelsblatt Rethink Work here