The neurology of professional performance

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore the impact on workplace performance and employee development of economic, technological, demographic and socio-political drivers, the consequential shift in job role design from an algorithmic to a heuristic model, and the importance of adopting management approaches that enhance intrinsic motivation, creativity and innovation. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews findings from research into intrinsic motivation, Neuroleadership (including circumstances that trigger neurological responses in the limbic system in response to the threat of social pain) and the work of the psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, to explore possible approaches to performance leadership that reflect insights from neurology into the actions and reactions of the human brain. Findings The article proposes a classification of employees that reflects their location on two axes: the development challenge faced and pressure experienced in doing so. In the case of three (out of a total of four) classifications where performance may prove to be either unsatisfactory or unsustainable, management strategies, styles and approaches to improve individual and organisational performance and employee engagement are suggested. Originality/value As the nature of both work and the workforce evolve, management approaches that focus on inspiring rather than controlling performance will be of greater organisational benefit. By acknowledging these paradigm shifts and drawing on recently learning about human brain function, revised approaches to people management and performance leadership can help organisations to optimise performance and build and maintain workplace environments in which creativity and innovation are more likely to flourish.