How to Coach Yourself and Others Essential Knowledge For Coaching | Page 105

argues the first reason that flow does not occur is that the goals
of one’s job are not clear. He explains that while some tasks at
work may fit into a larger, organization plan, the individual
worker may not see where their individual task fits it. Second,
limited feedback about one’s work can reduce motivation and
leaves the employee unaware of whether or not they did a good
job. When there is little communication of feedback, an employee
may not be assigned tasks that challenge them or seem
important, which could potentially prevent an opportunity for
flow. In the study “Predicting flow at work: Investigating the
activities and job characteristics that predict flow states at work”
Karina Nielsen and Bryan Clean used a 9- item flow scale to
examine predictors of flow at two levels: activity level (such as
brainstorming, problem solving, and evaluation) and at a more
stable level (such as role clarity, influence, and cognitive
demands). They found that activities such as planning, problem
solving, and evaluation predicted transient flow states, but that
more stable job characteristics were not found to predict flow at
work. This study can help us identify which task at work can be
cultivated and emphasized in order to help employees
experience flow on the job.
In her article in Positive Psychology News Daily, Kathryn Britton
examines the importance of experiencing flow in the workplace
beyond the individual benefits it creates. She writes, “Flow isn’t
just valuable to individuals; it also contributes to organizational
goals. For example, frequent experiences of flow at work lead to
higher productivity, innovation, and employee development
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1991, 2004). So finding ways to increase the
frequency of flow experiences can be one way for people to work
together to increase the effectiveness of their workplaces.”

983