by Sondra Calhoun
To do good work and serve customers well is at the heart of the majority of the workforce. Unfortunately, it’s the organizational environment that either unlocks or suppresses it.
I remember quite a few years ago, when I was consulting in a very large federal government organization, and the individuals that attended our 3-day workshop on customer service would break down crying out of the frustration of the red tape, the broken processes, and the lack of management support when they so desperately wanted to help their clients. The anxiety and heartbreak they felt was overwhelming for them.
McKinsey research grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), one of the most validated models in organizational psychology, finds that all people have three core psychological needs at work - competence, autonomy, and relatedness. When those needs are met, high-quality performance follows naturally. Their research also identifies what they call "prosocial motivation", the universal human tendency to expend additional effort when it benefits others, whether that's a customer, a team, or society at large. Individuals are consistently willing to expend additional effort when it benefits others, which is a universal phenomenon observed across roles and industries.
Gallup's research across 183,000 business units in 90 countries shows that employees in best-practice environments respond enthusiastically in those settings, resulting in 75% of managers and 70% of non-managerial employees report being engaged in their work. The fact that engagement surges when conditions are right is itself evidence that the underlying desire to contribute is there.
The Top Barriers That Get in the Way
Despite that underlying desire, the research is equally clear about what blocks people from delivering their best.
1. Poor or absent management. This is the single biggest structural barrier. Managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement, meaning a bad manager can neutralize even the most motivated employee. Only one in three employees strongly agrees that they trust the leadership of their organization.
2. Lack of clear communication and transparency. Gallup's 2024/2025 research found that 29% of employees cite a lack of clear, honest, or consistent communication from leaders as a top barrier. Employees want transparent leadership and two-way trust, not top-down directives in isolation.
3. Inadequate tools, resources, and staffing. A quarter of employees say their organizations underinvest in people, pay, tools, or staffing Gallup, leaving workers who want to do a great job without the means to do so. Chronic understaffing is a particularly common complaint on the front lines.
4. No recognition or feedback. Only 26% of employees strongly agree that they receive adequate recognition for their work The Happiness Index, and 14% specifically cite a lack of feedback, recognition, or development opportunities as a major barrier to performance.
5. No sense of purpose or connection to mission. Only 41% of employees strongly agree that their job is important to the organization's mission The Happiness Index, meaning most workers can't see how their daily effort connects to something bigger, which is a direct drain on the motivation to serve customers well.
The Bottom Line
The research converges on a clear picture. The desire to do good work and serve customers well is largely present in the workforce. It's the organizational environment that either unlocks or suppresses it. Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy $8.9 trillion annually, roughly 9% of global GDP. The gap isn't a motivation problem at the individual level. It's a systems, leadership, and culture problem at the organizational level.
Let us help you to help your people bring their best to work every day.