The new new Psychological Contract

Here's a concept you may not have heard of for a while: the psychological contract. This was coined to describe the bond of trust between employer and employee which started as "obedience for security". In other words, if I display obedience to you Mr Employer, then you provide me with a secure job.

Of course, this psychological contract was irreparably damaged over the past two decades starting with the waves of downsizings in the 1980's.

The mid 1990's saw the new psychological contract evolve into "initiative for opportunity", that is, you provide me with opportunities then I'll display my initiative. To a degree this still exists today, however, the display of initiative has tended to benefit the individual far more than the employer.

I believe the psychological contract has shifted again. It is now "Purpose and Meaningful Work". Work is no longer transactional - the exchange of loyalty for money or opportunity for outcomes. Rather, work today is a collaborative project between employers and employees that is not dictated from the top down. Rather, the most successful companies clearly articulate their purpose consisting of their vision for the future and the values that will guide their behaviour to get there.

"Meaningful" is the glue which binds the individual to the organisation. If work has meaning, individuals will stay. The challenge is for people to communicate what is meaningful to them and for organisations to be flexible enough to provide the environment for meaningful work to occur.

How much we miss

The story below is copied verbatim from an email that has recently been circulated. If you haven't read this, do so. It's a beautiful story of what is important.

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Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. = Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

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