Excerpt:
But it turns out nostalgia can also be good for organizations, according to psychologist Clay Routledge, the director of the wonderfully titled “Human Flourishing Lab” at the Archbridge Institute, a think tank. Routledge has studied the psychology of nostalgia for more than two decades, and finds that nostalgia isn’t always a trap — it also can free us to find the inspiration and motivation we need to move forward, in life and at work.
Revisiting memories doesn’t just bring comfort, Routledge told me. It can improve decision making and even, in some cases, keep employees from quitting — particularly those experiencing burnout.
The problem, he says, is that when CEOs like Jassy wax nostalgic to justify returning to the office full-time, they’re leaning on their own individual nostalgia, rather than that of the entire organization. They’re not using the power of nostalgia constructively, he says.
“Their nostalgia is not a fabrication — there is something in there,” he says. “But be more intentional. Get other perspectives. There are places to find alignment.”
Instead of just returning to the past, Routledge advises, “it’s better to look to the past to find ideas about doing something new.”
Read the full article at Bloomberg.
Read more about the Human Flourishing Lab here.
Bloomberg
Share:
Related Posts
