Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Meaningful Work and Outliers

In his chapter “The Lessons of Joe Flom,” Malcolm Gladwell traces the backgrounds and experiences of a select group of people whose “world -- culture and generation and family history – gave them the greatest opportunities.” In particular, he pays close attention to the importance of ethnic background, demographic luck, and meaningful work. Given my remark that “hard work is often overrated” in the comments section of our last post, I was especially intrigued with Gladwell's alternative or refined consideration of work.

According to Gladwell, meaningful work is characterized by
1) autonomy – processes that yield senses of independence;
2) complexity – work that engages the mind and imagination;
3) a connection between effort and reward – a noticeable return on the uses of time and energy.

So rather than champion “hard work,” Gladwell makes distinctions and highlights “meaningful work,” indicating that such work heightens people's possibilities for success when they find their efforts freeing, thought-provoking, and fulfilling.

What determining factor -- ethnic background, demographic luck, or meaningful work -- did you find most compelling? Why?

Or, to incorporate a local concern, what do you think your individual department or the university in general here at SIUE could do to create a community that ensures that more students get engaged with meaningful work?

18 comments:

Natalie B. said...

I must say that the idea of meaningful work is what I'm sold on. It may have something to do with wishful thinking, but what's wrong with that? When it comes to SIUE in a way they already do a lot when it comes to this idea of meaningful work. This university naturally incorporates all three of the specifications. Most of all would be the third, which is in other words, positive reinforcement. If you work really hard, you will be able to see tangible results in gradeds.

Bryan M. said...

There are many things that could be done here at SIUE to ensure that students get engaged in meaningful work. First, you would want to follow how Gladwell characterized meaningful work. When assigning school work here at SIUE teachers should make sure that students are given the chance to do independent work, complex work, and in some way they must be rewarded for their time in effort. Instead of having an assignment on one topic, give the students a chance to choose from multiple topics. This would help yield a sense of independce. Also, make sure that the topic is something that makes the student think and put true emotions into. Finally, a good grade on quality work should be enough of a reward to time and effort put into an assignment. I feel that SIUE does a pretty good job of ensuring meaning work.

robert dammer said...

Meaningful work has, I believe, been the most compelling thing for me. My ethnic background and demographic luck, while important to my life and influential in its course, are things that are beyond my control. Finding meaningful work for myself has always been important to me, and looking back on my life I have realized that this was true even before the concept was formalized by Outliers. The process is not only effective and rewarding, but liberating. In short, meaningful work is what makes me feel like I am doing something with my life.

Christian Harrelson said...

Ethnic backgrounds seems the most compelling to me. It is odd to think that being jewish in the 1970's gives you a better chance to become a successful lawyer.
The jewish graduates of law school had all been denied the the big time law firms in the 1960's. Luckily, times changes and the work that the jewish lawyers had put up with had become the norm of the business now.
Demographic luck also showed how your birthdate can effect your success once again like it did in previous chapters.
It is shocking that there are so many perfect birth dates for a certain profession.

Alexis Cortes said...

I found the factor of meaningful work to be the most compelling. People need all the things that Gladwell characterized as components of meaningful work: diversity, imagination, and feeling like they are being rewarded. It makes sense to me that people would strive to be successful if their work consisted of these things. Who would be excited about their work if it was so monotonous and boring everyday? Who would feel stimulated in an environment where their minds were never engaged? Who would want to work harder if they were seeing no reward for the work they were already doing? No one. That is why "meaningful work" is so important. Gladwell said: "Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig."

Moriah Lupardus said...

I found meaningful work the most compelling. I think that there is a great chance of being successful at your job if you find what your doing fulfilling and purposeful. I think SIUE could encourage students to be engaged in meaningful work by giving more assignments and projects that are meaningful and have a purpose rather than just busy work.

Renee Johns-Goodenough said...

I found the concept of meaningful work most compelling because many people often do not realize the different factors that attribute to work and success. When it comes to SIUE, I believe that some classes could offer more hands-on work so that our minds would be more engaged, thus leading us further into success.

jennifer johnson said...

to me, the most compelling aspect is ethnic background because usually, it is your ethnic background that basically determines what the outcome of life will be.

Alex Heppner said...

It is surprising to me that demographic groups are not considered more frequently when it comes to success. I found it very compelling to read about the benefits and downfalls that your certain demographic group may give you. I think this is an important factor to consider because a person needs to be aware of the odds that are against them. It is interesting to think about how the time in which you live can determine your success. It's the kind of things that you can not control that you need to consider.

Maame A said...

I found both ethnic backfround and meaningful work to be most compelling. I thought that ethnic background was compelling because i do believe (having parents from another country) that parents that were raised in another country push their children and make sure that they are trying their very hardest, because they know how it is not to live a fulfilled life. I think that meaningful work is compelling because the way that Gladwell characterized it into three things (autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward) is how everybody should look at the work that they have done. I agree with Natalie B. in that the university naturally incorporates all three specifications. every student has a sense of autonomy because we are all out here on our own being independent and responsible for all of our actions. Students also have a sense of complexity because we have to use our imagination, creativity, and minds on every assignment that is given. If a student uses the first two criteria, they should have a connection between effort and reward by getting go grades or passing all their classes.

Maame A said...

I found both ethnic backfround and meaningful work to be most compelling. I thought that ethnic background was compelling because i do believe (having parents from another country) that parents that were raised in another country push their children and make sure that they are trying their very hardest, because they know how it is not to live a fulfilled life. I think that meaningful work is compelling because the way that Gladwell characterized it into three things (autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward) is how everybody should look at the work that they have done. I agree with Natalie B. in that the university naturally incorporates all three specifications. every student has a sense of autonomy because we are all out here on our own being independent and responsible for all of our actions. Students also have a sense of complexity because we have to use our imagination, creativity, and minds on every assignment that is given. If a student uses the first two criteria, they should have a connection between effort and reward by getting go grades or passing all their classes.

Ronald Banks said...

SIUE demonstrates the meaning of the word meaningful work. With successful students on our campus they have put in hard work and dedication to be here. In classrooms here the instuctors have used complexity in their curriculum. With the hard work the students shows is represented by grades. I found meaning ful most compelling because I can relate it to my life. With having meaningful work I am on the path of being an successful collegiate student.

Terrence said...

I believe the idea of meaningful work is the most compelling because all people are given opportunities through meaningful work. The three characteristics of meaningful work is the reason its compelling. Many college students or young adults experience the autonomy part of meaningful work because they feel independent and less realiant on parents or family. People that enjoy going to work everyday enjoy the complexity of meaningful work. Everyone finds the connection between effort and reward because people that work harder and longer sees a bigger check than others. I've seen the effects of meaningful work within my household with my parents with their work and it is apparent in their monthly paycheck. Also I see the effects of meaningful work in my classes, especially after I study really hard for a test, I receive a nice grade.

Clarissa B. said...

i found that the demographic luck was extremly interesting. it showed that even though a person may have the exact same qualities and abilities as someone else, you still need to be at the right place at the right time. In particular, Maurice Janklow and Mort Janklow were one in the same, but because one grew up during the Great Depression and his son right after it, the latter was able to reach his goals. There was a time and a place for a lawyer in Brooklyn and Maurice was 30 years too soon. It just shows you that even if you are qualified, you still need a bit of luck to succeed in life.

Gwen Grogan said...

I found the idea of meaningful work most compelling as well. If teachers gave students more hands on work assignments here at SIUE, I believe students would be more interested. If teachers and students put in more work, it will only add to our success.

Kennen Hutchison said...

I found the argument of meaningful work as the most compelling point. I hate to reiterate what has already been said but Alexis Cortes said it the best I believe. People don't want to work (or at least not work hard) toward a job or task that yields them no reward. My grandma has taught me this same concept since i was young and it's a motto i have grown up to live by, she always said that "something for nothing is nothing at all."

AustinB said...

Meaningful work is what really spoke to me. So many of the things we do in class it seems are just useless exercises to keep us busy and if we're luck try to test us on basic knowledge. I've taken 3 test/quizzes to date that are not reflected on my grade, and did not help me increase my knowledge of the subjects learned in that class. SIUE should only offer assignments that have a benefit to the students and faculty. Either ones that test scholar's knowledge of concepts learn and help them discover their weak points, or ones that test the class as a whole (in the beginning of the semester), so that professors get a feel for the level of the class that they are teaching so that they can adjust the ways that curriculum is taught accordingly. Also, while I see the purpose of general education courses, I in turn feel strongly that they should be a requirement either only for the first semester of freshman year of college, or only if a student request to take more of them on the basis that they cannot decide what direction they should go in major wise. I think that it is wrong that so many students and their families pay so much money for courses that do not contribute at all to their majors, and that only lengthen the time that said student must spend in school. Also these unnecessary classes add to the huge pile of student loans that most end up with at the completion of their collegiate experience, not including grad school.

Ricky Mahajan said...

I found the determining factor of hard work to be the most compelling because it made the most sense. Meaningful work does heighte my chance for success. When I have work handed to me that someone says is important I will naturally work harder on it thus unleashing my diverse thought process. The idea that my work is doing something to help would make me feel partly fulfilled.