Connecting the Dots: Superordinate Framing Enhances the Value of Unimportant Tasks
Each day, people begrudgingly complete mundane tasks. Four experiments (N = 3,502; two pre-registered) reveal that a simple intervention—superordinate framing—can enhance people’s task experiences. In two initial experiments, working adults were asked to describe unimportant, meaningless work tasks. Some participants reflected on how these tasks acted like puzzle pieces, connecting with other tasks to achieve a broader purpose (superordinate condition). Others reflected on the broad purpose of the unimportant task (purpose condition) or were assigned to a no-framing control condition. Participants in the superordinate condition reported greater joy, meaning, and motivation from the task compared to participants assigned to the purpose or control conditions (Experiments 1-2). This effect was moderated by task type, such that superordinate (vs. purpose) framing increased the enjoyment of unimportant but not important tasks (Experiment 2). Two additional experiments replicated these findings using real-time work tasks, and generalized to two kinds of superordinate frames: superordinate framing enhanced participants’ task experience regardless of whether they reflected on how their own tasks fit together over time (i.e., how their work now will combine with their own future work) or how their own tasks fit with others’ tasks (i.e., how their work will combine with others’ work; Experiments 3-4). Participants who viewed their task through a superordinate lens also demanded a higher wage for participation—providing further evidence that they valued these tasks more (Experiment 4). These findings highlight a costless psychological intervention that can boost people’s enjoyment of otherwise mundane and demotivating tasks.
Keywords: superordinate framing; Employees; Motivation and Incentives; Goals and Objectives; Mission and Purpose; Perspective;
Citation:
Yoon, Jaewon, A.V. Whillans, and Ed O'Brien. "Connecting the Dots: Superordinate Framing Enhances the Value of Unimportant Tasks." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-011, July 2019. View Details