How Thriving Organizations Design for What People Really Need
Six of ten Zooms last week detoured to the same topic: Employee Experience.
Boards write it into OKRs.
62% of execs rank it mission-critical (Gartner, 2024).
And Slack lights up with polls about Friday playlists and free snacks.
But if only 21% of employees feel any spark at work (Gallup, 2024)…
What exactly are we experiencing?
A nice perk?
A lovely playlist?
Or a system that truly buoys us?
In work and in life, I’m ever interested in the architecture beneath the feeling—the structural choices that make people invest, grow, and stay.
So when I’m mapping those choices, I reach for one of my sharpest lenses:
The Four Drives of Human Behavior
(Lawrence and Nohria)
Every system signals its strengths while quietly revealing its cracks. Here’s what to watch for:
🏆 Acquire
Worth lands when recognition is public and growth pathways are real.
→ Watch for imbalance when perks stack up faster than development opportunities.
🤝 Bond
Culture statements open the door; day-to-day collaboration decides who stays.
→ Trust thins out when Slack is roaring but real dissent goes quiet.
📚 Comprehend
People stay curious with clear roles, managers who coach, and baked-in learning opportunities.
→ Momentum stalls when initiatives race ahead of role clarity.
🛡️ Defend
Trust takes root when decisions are transparent and advancement feels clear.
→ Equity loses credibility when fairness is whispered, not witnessed.
Your Quick Gut-Check
LEADERS:
Which drive is your org truly meeting, not just marketing?
Where are you masking thin design with loud symbolism?
TALENT ON THE MOVE:
Which drive are you starving for?
Design for it in your next chapter.
Motivation at work isn’t random. It can be built—or broken.
👇🏾 See a quadrant map of how these drives layer onto culture change.
Framework
Originally appeared on LinkedIN.
Let’s design for real engagement, with intention.
