Research shows that organisational cultures that practice collective gratitude also demonstrate increased levels of corporate social responsibility[1]. But what about social innovation?
A good place to start is to clearly define the difference between the two. An organisation driven by social innovation takes a proactive approach to social change. An ethos of doing good is a permanent fixture that is woven into the organisation’s very fabric and foundation. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), on the other hand, tends to be reactive. It is how organisations strive to create positive social impact through their existing practices.
Not to completely dismiss CSR, but social innovation is clearly of a higher moral order. Given we know that grateful workplaces tend to practice more social responsibility, let’s explore how a culture of gratitude can promote social innovation.
Morality drives social innovation, gratitude and appreciation
Gratitude is a moral phenomenon found across all cultures and throughout human history. It is a highly prized disposition in all of the major world religions, and has been an important topic in philosophy and the social sciences for the past few centuries. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1790), the economist Adam Smith presented one of the first detailed analyses of gratitude. Smith proposed that feelings of gratitude are crucial for maintaining a society that is to be based on good will. He observed that society can also function on purely utilitarian grounds, but deemed societies of gratitude more attractive than those of pure utility. Smith considered gratitude to be an important emotional resource for promoting stability and a ‘good society’.
Applied to modern organisations, gratitude serves three moral functions[2]:
- Gratitude as a moral barometer. The collective level of gratitude serves as a measure of the organisational climate and strength of social relationships.
- Gratitude as a moral motive. Expressions of gratitude and appreciation motivate prosocial behaviour, reciprocity and other virtues.
- Gratitude as a moral reinforcer. Because both the giver and receiver benefit from gratitude and appreciation, both parties are more likely to enact these benevolent behaviours in the future.
One
thing leaders interested in shifting towards or deepening their social
innovation can do is foster a culture of gratitude. Doing so will raise the
organisation’s moral barometer, creating the conditions for other virtues such
as patience, humility and wisdom to be cultivated. An organisational culture
marked by such virtues is more likely to foster social innovation and wellbeing
at work. Social innovation, like gratitude and
appreciation, is grounded in moral sentiments and notions of the ‘good society’.
With Adam Smith, I think we can agree that a society based on good will is
preferable to one of pure utility. Fortunately, something as simple as saying
‘thank you’ and showing appreciation at work can take us some way in achieving
this lofty and worthy goal.
[1] McCullough et al. 2001, ‘Is Gratitude a Moral Affect?’ Psychological Bulletin. 127(2), 249-266.
[2] Fehr et al. 2017, ‘The Grateful Workplace: A multilevel model of gratitude in organizations’. Academy of Management Review. 42(2).
