Cultivating the ABCs of an Inspiring Workplace

TDG International Abstract: Perhaps the greatest source of unique advantage is an organization’s work-force. Unfortunately, while many managers talk about the importance or their people, they often fail to cultivate a organizational spirit that leverages their people’s creativ-ity, insight and passion. A senior executive at a Fortune 500 company commented on this reality, saying, “People are either the bridge or the barrier. ” One of today’s pri-mary leadership challenges is to overcome practices that limit workers ’ involvement. The goal is to create a workplace that inspires creativity and contribution. The question becomes, “What practices cultivate a culture that can transform an organization’s workforce into a source of creativity and innovative solutions? ” In this article, we empirically analyze a unique data set to address this question. Through values research techniques, a hierarchical values map is developed to explore the relationship between workplace attributes, organizational climate, and personal values. Affirmation, belong-ing, and competence emerge as critical elements of a people-centered, inspiring organi-zational culture