Joy at Work

Part of an A.T. Kearney series on joy in the workplace

Joy can be a powerful force. But what factors lead to joy,
and how successful is the business world in cultivating
joy in the workplace? To find the answers, A.T. Kearney
sponsored a global survey.

Joy at Work 1
Executive Summary
Joy can be a powerful force for business success. In any endeavor, success sparks joy, then joy
fuels even greater success, in a virtuous cycle. Further, the shared experience of joy connects
people as powerfully as any other human experience.

To help business leaders understand the opportunities and obstacles they may encounter when
working to tap the practical power of joy, A.T. Kearney sponsored a global survey of 503 people
(including more than 150 C-suite executives) working in companies with more than $2 billion in
revenues. The survey explored:

• Whether people expect to experience joy at work

• How often they do, in fact, experience joy

• Which factors correlate with the experience of joy at work

Finding: There is a “joy gap” in the business world. People overwhelmingly expect to experience
meaningful moments of joy at work. Yet fewer than half say they actually feel high levels of joy in
their workplace. This “joy gap” is most pronounced in companies more than 10 years old.

Finding: Shared impact and higher purpose matter most. Correlation analysis suggests that
employees who believe their “company makes a positive societal contribution” and who feel
“personally committed to achieving the company’s vision and strategy” experience the most
joy at work.

Finding: Team dynamics are also important. Survey respondents who feel more joy on the job
also more frequently report having the kinds of in-team experiences that visibly yield joy during
team athletic competitions.

Finding: The work experiences most strongly correlated with joy are also those holding the
greatest room for improvement.

This report is the first in a series of articles exploring joy in the workplace.

Future articles will consider why the joy gap identified in our research matters to companies,
and how leaders might address it.

Joy at Work 1
Joy and Success
The practical power of joy is clearly visible in the sports world. When a team performs at its
awe-inspiring best, every player—indeed the entire arena—experiences a brimming ecstasy that
lifts the team even further. Success sparks joy. Joy fuels further success. Everyone is caught up
in the moment.

Joy can also be a powerful force for business success. Why? Two reasons. People universally
relish the experience of joy, which makes it intrinsically motivational. And shared joy connects
people as powerfully as any other human experience, uniting them in inspired and cohesive
efforts to meet great challenges and realize unprecedented achievements.

To gain insights into joy at work, A.T. Kearney conducted a global survey that explored people’s
workplace experiences across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia
Pacific. The sample included more than 500 executives and employees of various ages in
companies with more than $2 billion in revenues, in a range of industries (see figure 1).

Success sparks joy.

Joy fuels further
success.

Figure 1
The joy survey included workers from various roles, regions, generations, and industries

Joy survey results demographic mix

100% 100% 100% 100% Aerospace and defense
Baby 1%
4% 5% Professional services
Boomers
6% Automotive
20% APAC
6% Energy

8% Health

9% Industrial goods and services

70% Non-C-suite 59% Gen X
Infrastructure, transportation,
40% EMEA 11%
and travel

Communications, media,
12%
and technology

18% Financial services

40% Americas 37% Millennials

30% C-suite
24% Consumer goods and retail

Role Region Generation* Industry

Note: Numbers may not resolve due to rounding.

*Based on Pew Research Center's definition of generational cohorts
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis

Joy at Work 2
Joy Drivers
What leads to joy at work?

We first asked respondents to report how much joy they experience in the workplace. We then
asked them to rate how much each of a series of statements reflects their own experience at
work, so we could gauge which variables most notably correlate with feeling joy at work. In
correlation analysis, a correlation coefficient of 1 means the two measured variables always
occur together (perfect positive correlation), while -1 means they never do. For this study, any
correlation measure of 0.40 or above was considered a significant degree of positive corre-
lation (see figure 2).

Figure 2
Those who believe they are doing meaningful work are likely to feel joy on the job

Total sample

Correlation to
Ranking Joy driver
joy variable

1 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.65

2 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.63

3 Understands the company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.58

4 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.49

5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.47

6 Feels that their talents are being utilized effectively within the team 0.46

7 Colleagues acknowledge others’ contributions to team success 0.45

Note: >0.40 is a significant correlation.

Source: A.T. Kearney analysis

As shown in the chart above, a range of factors correlate with the experience of joy at work.
Above all, joy on the job stems from believing one’s work is truly meaningful. Employees who
feel “personally committed to achieving the company’s vision and strategy” and who believe
their “company makes a positive societal contribution” experience the most joy at work.

Several team experiences also correlated with joy at a statistically significant level, most notably
“Celebrating shared success within the team” and “Feeling strong bonds within the team.”

Further, the factors most closely correlating with joy at work were largely consistent across
organizational levels and generations (see figure 3 on page 4).

The lesson? Crafting business cultures that more consistently engender such experiences can
create a much stronger sense of personal interconnection, shared purpose, and heartfelt pride
across the organization.

Joy at Work 3
Figure 3
The factors leading to joy at work were largely consistent across organizational levels
and generations

C-suite executives
Correlation to
Ranking Joy driver
joy variable

1 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.70
2 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.64
3 Believes their role is crucial to the success of the team 0.58
4 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.58
5 Knows how their role contributes to business success 0.56
6 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.56

Employees
Correlation to
Ranking Joy driver
joy variable

1 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.64

2 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.63
3 Understands the company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.60
4 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.46
5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.43
6 Colleagues acknowledge others’ contributions to team success 0.43
7 Feels that their talents are being utilized effectively within the team 0.42

Millennials
Correlation to
Ranking Joy driver
joy variable

1 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.70

2 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.66
3 Understands the company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.61
4 Colleagues acknowledge others’ contributions to team success 0.52
5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.51
6 Feels that their talents are being utilized effectively within the team 0.50
7 Understands their role and the role of others in the team 0.49
8 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.48

Gen X
Correlation to
Ranking Joy driver
joy variable

1 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.64
2 Understands the company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.59
3 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.58
4 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.45
5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.40

Note: >0.40 is a significant correlation.

Source: A.T. Kearney analysis

Joy at Work 4
The Joy Gap
There is much work to be done, however, as the survey also points to a pronounced “joy gap” at
work. Nearly 90 percent of respondents said they expect to experience a substantial degree of
joy at work, yet only 37 percent report this as their actual experience (see figure 4).

This joy gap is not confined to any particular generational cohort. For Gen X and Millennials (the
vast majority in our sample), the joy gap registered at 57 percent and 44 percent respectively.

Company age also appears to shape how much joy people experience at work, as participants
from companies less than 10 years old (just over one-tenth of the total sample) reported
substantially higher levels of joy than did people from older companies (see figure 5). This
suggests that to reap more of the practical benefits of joy, legacy companies must be particularly
diligent in cultivating the joy drivers identified above.

This joy gap is not confined

to any particular generational
cohort. For Gen X and Millennials,
the joy gap registered at 57%
and 44% respectively.

Figure 4 Figure 5
Respondents indicated a substantial Respondents from companies less than
“joy gap” in their workplace experiences 10 years old reported higher levels of joy

The joy gap Joy and company age

90% 53%

Report
36% 38% feeling
48% more joy
at work

37%
Report
feeling
less joy
at work

Expect Joy gap Feel very Under 10 10–40 40+

to feel joy high levels years years years
of joy at work
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis Source: A.T. Kearney analysis

Joy at Work 5
Joy Opportunity
A further comparative analysis suggests that the factors most strongly correlated with joy
(noted above) may also offer the most room for improvement. Figure 6 compares how people
who reported feeling lower versus higher levels of joy at work responded to the question “To
what extent do the following characteristics reflect your current experiences in the workplace?”
for each joy driver, using a 1 to 10 scale.

Opportunities exist for

companies to focus their
efforts to cultivate joy at work.

Figure 6
The factors that correlate most with joy also offer the most room for improvement

Total sample

Correlation to Lower Higher

Ranking Joy driver Difference
joy variable joy (1–8) joy (9–10)

Feels committed to achieving company’s

1 0.65 7.5 9.1 +1.6
vision and strategy for the future

Believes that the company makes

2 0.63 7.3 8.9 +1.6
a positive societal contribution

Understands the company's vision

3 0.58 7.6 8.9 +1.4
and strategy for the future

Celebrates shared success within

4 0.49 7.3 8.6 +1.3
the team

5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.47 7.4 8.6 +1.2

Feels that their talents are being

6 0.46 7.3 8.5 +1.2
utilized effectively within the team

Colleagues acknowledge others’

7 0.45 7.2 8.5 +1.3
contributions to team success

Notes: >0.40 is a significant correlation. Numbers may not resolve due to rounding.
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis

The differences were largest in the areas most closely correlated with joy, pointing to
opportunities for companies to focus their efforts to cultivate joy at work to the greatest
practical effect.

And as before, this pattern largely held true across organizational levels and generational
cohorts (see figure 7 on page 7).

Joy at Work 6
Figure 7
Joy opportunities are consistent across organizational levels and generations

C-suite executives
Correlation Lower Higher
Ranking Joy driver to joy joy joy Difference
variable (1–8) (9–10)

1 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.70 7.5 9.2 +1.7

2 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.64 7.7 8.8 +1.2

3 Believes their role is crucial to the success of the team 0.58 7.5 8.8 +1.4

4 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.58 7.4 8.6 +1.3

5 Knows how their role contributes to business success 0.56 7.4 8.6 +1.3

6 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.56 7.3 8.5 +1.2

Employees
Correlation Lower Higher
Ranking Joy driver to joy joy joy Difference
variable (1–8) (9–10)

1 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.64 7.1 8.9 +1.8

2 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.63 7.5 9.1 +1.5

3 Understands the company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.60 7.5 8.9 +1.4

4 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.46 7.3 8.7 +1.4

5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.43 7.5 8.6 +1.2

6 Colleagues acknowledge others’ contributions to team success 0.43 7.2 8.6 +1.4

7 Feels that their talents are being utilized effectively within the team 0.42 7.3 8.5 +1.2

Millennials
Correlation Lower Higher
Ranking Joy driver to joy joy joy Difference
variable (1–8) (9–10)

1 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.70 7.3 9.1 +1.8

2 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.66 7.5 9.2 +1.6

3 Understands the company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.61 7.6 9.1 +1.5

4 Colleagues acknowledge others’ contributions to team success 0.52 7.0 8.6 +1.5

5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.51 7.3 8.7 +1.4

6 Feels that their talents are being utilized effectively within the team 0.50 7.2 8.5 +1.3

7 Understands their role and the role of others in the team 0.49 7.3 8.8 +1.5

8 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.48 7.4 8.5 +1.1

Gen X
Correlation Lower Higher
Ranking Joy driver to joy joy joy Difference
variable (1–8) (9–10)

1 Feels committed to achieving company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.64 7.5 9.0 +1.5

2 Understands the company’s vision and strategy for the future 0.59 7.5 8.8 +1.3

3 Believes that the company makes a positive societal contribution 0.58 7.3 8.6 +1.3

4 Celebrates shared success within the team 0.45 7.3 8.7 +1.4

5 Feels strong bonds within the team 0.40 7.6 8.6 +1.0

Notes: >0.40 is a significant correlation. Numbers may not resolve due to rounding.
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis

Joy at Work 7
Conclusion
In sum, our survey found remarkable consistency in how people experience joy at work, and
surfaced a wealth of highly actionable opportunities for companies to cultivate joy.

Business leaders tend to think a great deal about success, but rarely about joy. Chances are,
few are even aware of the joy gap in their organization and the resulting lack of interpersonal
connection and team aspiration. Companies that prioritize joy in the workplace will be better
positioned to apply the full power of their human potential to improving business performance.

Author

Alex Liu, managing partner and

chairman of the board, San Francisco
[email protected]

This report is the first in a series of articles exploring joy in the workplace.

Future articles will consider why the joy gap identified in our research matters to companies,
and how leaders might address it.

Joy at Work 8
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