HOW PEOPLE DEFINE ACCOMPLISHMENT

• Accomplishment is the result we desire when a specific goal was reached. Basically, accomplishment is the results that someone plans or expects to occur. — Steve Mueller, Blogger
• Accomplishment can be explained as “an entity done effectively, usually by energy, nerve, or talent.” But, accomplishment is different from success. It denotes to 'receiving what you need'. Accomplishment is the initial idea of achieving prodigious accomplishment in each portion of our life. Accomplishments also comprise alteration, but it displays the occasions that state to as restricted in time. It can be divided into two endpoints and a progression share. — Zain Mughal, Blogger
• What makes something an accomplishment, rather than simply another completed task, is the sense of achievement that comes with it. An accomplishment is something that someone has done to the best of his/her ability, that has taken a certain level of skill, determination or hard work to complete. Gaining a sense of accomplishment, and feeling proud of the work done, helps people feel like they’re progressing in their work. An accomplishment feels like making a positive step forward for yourself, your company, your clients and your co-workers. — Perkbox, Company

HOW PEOPLE DEFINE THE FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

• The feeling of accomplishment is the feeling of being able to do things which are fun, gives life meaning, and sparks existence. — Peter Fleming, Director of Pellin institute
• Accomplishment is that sense of achievement when you feel like something was done well. It is one of the most personal things in the world and can truly set people apart. The sense of accomplishment is bittersweet. Some people feel best when they complete something that they never wanted to do. This is common in people with mental health issues. The simplest tasks can seem impossible, and every piece of motivation seems at least a lifetime away. Even things like showering that can seem pointless and futile, and being able to stand against one's mindset in that moment, can give an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. — Harvey Sparrow
• There’s a lot of pressure that’s put on us for achievement. We see business leaders, celebrities, and royalty living lavish lifestyles. They have everything and anything they could ask for. We see this and desires to achieve the same lifestyle or things famous people have. — Del, Founder of Epoch Man
• A sense of accomplishment is something that contributes to burnout and stress, which can be affected by attitude, philosophy, and passion. The lack of goals or plans in a person’s personal and professional life can cause stress and burnout, which specifically hinder a sense of accomplishment. — Jeffrey Glogowski

FORUMS WHERE PEOPLE DESCRIBE THE STATE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

• ''I feel very successful after a long day of work, knowing on that day, I made a profit instead of a lose. This makes me super happy inside.''- Nspeel
• "I feel accomplished when I effectively complete what I set out to do." This makes me feel fulfilled and have purpose. — MsDora
• ''I haven't got a lot to feel 'accomplished' about... but when I check things off my to-do list, I feel productive... it's the same feeling I get when I tidy up.''- Sinny from Birmingham, UK
• "Accomplishment feels like a tiny 'yay!' and then a slight (short-lived) buzz afterwards." — Noip
• ''Living with chronic disease makes everyday task feels like an accomplishment. Brushing my hair on my own or eating solid food makes me feel overwhelmed but I'm proud because the small accomplishments are big successes for me." — Rosin Crosby
• "When I set out to do something, and I actually get it done, I feel like I won." — Ptah
• “Today I cleaned my stove. I’ve been meaning to do it for a while and finally today I got it done and I’m so happy!”- Hillary Donovan
• "Yesterday I finished my tuxedo monkey graffiti paste-up poster that's 7 feet long using black spray paint, black acrylic and black sharpies chisel and original. But yeah.... I feel amazing that I did it, the monkey head took 4 hours and the tuxedo and top hat took 3 hours." — officialpopoy
• "I've felt a great deal of accomplishment when I was both part of a team and manager of a team that was getting things done and making real, visual contributions to our goals. For me, it's about clear progress and getting things done — not how I fit into a team."- Joe Heck

RESEARCH STRATEGY:

NEGATIVE FEELINGS AT WORK:

• Some of the feelings that lead to negative feelings at the end of workday include fear and pressure.
• Employees get worried at the workplace due to long hours, tight deadlines, and ever-increasing work-related demands.
• The common causes of stress or negative feelings at the end of the workday include fear of being laid off, and the pressure to perform/work.
• The anxious sense of unhealthy work-life balance and the pressure of career add to the overall negative feeling at the end of a workday.
• Employees can deal with negative emotions at the workplace by finding positives in negative situations, accepting the situation, or mentally distancing themselves from such circumstances.
• According to research by the Academy of Management Journal, "positive work events and a positive reflection intervention are associated with reduced stress and improved health."
• Negative emotions in the workplace like anger may sometimes lead to adverse outcomes.

ROLE OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS IN GENERATING WORKPLACE:

• Being happy and confident in the workplace are some of the feelings that lead to positive feelings in the workplace.
• Positive emotions, such as feeling more active, energized, interested, and excited, can lead to increased job satisfaction.
• Employees working with positive emotions can process information more effectively and work more efficiently.
• Positive emotions can help in better health and stress management. Employees who have positive emotions improve social interactions and creativity. Positive emotions of workers motivate them and lead to greater job satisfaction.
•  High-intensity positive emotions are needed by employees to succeed.

RESEARCH STRATEGY

IMPORTANCE OF SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

• Employees like to feel needed and appreciated in the workplace.
• Although salary increase is a good motivator, it often falls short due to employees not feeling appreciated.
• According to a 2016 report by Happiness Research Institute, feeling of accomplishment "is the fourth most important influencer in employee engagement."
• The person setting up the goals also influence the feeling of accomplishment after reaching a specific goal at the workplace. The more prestigious or influential the person is, the higher the sense of accomplishment and achievement.
• According to the self-determination theory, when people feel competent at a task, they are more motivated to complete it, leading to a sense of accomplishment.
•  Unexpected positive feedback improves employees motivation as they savor their need for competence.
•  Habitual, smaller feats of accomplishments tend to have a more significant influence than infrequent big feats of accomplishment.

THE ROLE OF SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT IN JOB SATISFACTION

• When the employees are embedded with a sense of accomplishments, it leads to a recognition of their time, space, and energy. This helps the employees to work in synergy with their employers and feel satisfied with their job.
• In a survey conducted on 14,000 participants in 16 countries, "I am generally satisfied with the feeling of worthwhile accomplishment I get from doing this job" came out as one of the three major statements by the participants.
• The Bayt.com's ‘Job Satisfaction in the Middle East and North Africa’s survey which was conducted by Bayt.com in 2015, reported that 84% of the respondents found a sense of achievement and accomplishment to be the most important factors in job satisfaction.
• Factors such as recognition and reward, an opportunity of position promotion, sense of self-professional status, personal future development, work empowerment, and work autonomy are some reasons why a sense of accomplishment and achievement are integral to job satisfaction.

FEELINGS AT THE END OF THE WORKDAY

• Employees with a sense of accomplishment often do a last minute reflection and similar activities to measure up their performance and reinforce the sense of accomplishment during the end of workday.
• The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the workday provides employees with reinforced motivation and positivism to work the next day.
• The higher the positive emotions of the employees, the higher is their job satisfaction and hence their intention to keep working at the same place.
• Employees whose workday end with a feeling of accomplishment tend to be happier.

Research Strategy

Frequency of Sense of Accomplishment

• How often people experience a sense of accomplishment at work depends on a number of factors. However, a 2017 study asserted that only 50% of people feel satisfied with the way they spend their days.

Factors Associated with Increased Sense of Accomplishment

• A sense of accomplishment overtakes a person when dopamine, the reward chemical is released.
• Several experts suggest that individuals that break down goals into sub-goals increase their sense of accomplishment because they feel fulfilled with the completion of each sub-goal and stay on track to achieve the ultimate goal.
• The trend of 'gamification' takes advantage of this function to increase a sense of accomplishment by making workplace tasks or training seem more like games by introducing elements like countdowns, sounds, and points.
• The gamification trend works because it aims to establish an emotional response when the user achieves a sub-goal by creating in-game rewards.
• Another way workplaces increase a sense of accomplishment through rewards is by providing positive feedback to workers.
• Furthermore, some jobs are associated with a higher sense of accomplishment than others. These jobs include priesthood, physical therapy, firefighting, and education administration.
• The reason is, in highly satisfying jobs, workers can tie their tasks directly to the benefit of others, therefore increasing their sense of accomplishment.

Factors Not Associated with Increased Sense of Accomplishment

• Although it is a common cliche that one should follow their passion to feel satisfied at work. However, a study argues against that advice.
• Similarly, money is often considered to be the ultimate incentive and should naturally increase one's sense of satisfaction. But, the study argues that this is not a driver for workplace achievement.

Brief Sense of Accomplishment

• Sometimes, when a larger project is completed, individuals experience 'arrival fallacy' where they do not feel a strong sense of accomplishment upon completion. This feeling occurs when the brain releases dopamine in anticipation of completion instead of upon completion because the individual sees the completion of the project as a formality.
• Clinical psychologist Vincent Passaralli says that if a person's sense of accomplishment fades quickly, it can be a sign that the task itself was not sufficient and that the individual needs to turn towards a more long-term goal.

Additional Resources

• An academic report describes the neuroscience of workplace happiness. However, paid-subscription or institutional access is required to access the content fully. The link to the study is provided here.
• An academic article describes the relationship between training, job satisfaction, and workplace performance. However, paid-subscription or institutional access is required to access the content fully. The link to the study is provided here.

YOUR RESEARCH TEAM APPLIED THE FOLLOWING STRATEGY:

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AT WORK VERSUS OUTSIDE WORK:

• There is a difference between a feeling of accomplishment when it comes to work versus outside work.

HOW IT IS DIFFERENT:

• The sense of accomplishment at work makes people feel great and feel that their workplace cares about their well-being.
• The sense of accomplishment outside of work means feeling good most about one self but if people are incapable of achieve that, it makes them depressed, anxious, and angry.

• The sense of accomplishment at work helps the individual be perceived as capable every time he achieves something but they also usually sacrifice others areas of life to accomplish their success as work.
• The sense of accomplishment outside of work signifies that an individual's life is going well and their goals are being met.

• The sense of accomplishment at work effects an individual mentally as we feel that we have earned the right to feel safe.
• The sense of accomplishment outside of work means people more emotional, physically capable, and promote personal relationships.

• The sense of accomplishment at work allows for achievements in the professional life (ex: getting into a new role or job, promotion).
• The sense of accomplishment outside of work is produced by a strong sense of efficacy, promotes a confidence in individuals and their increases capabilities to approach difficult tasks.

• The sense of accomplishment at work reflects everything you do at work that makes an individual happy.
• The sense of accomplishment outside of work reflects an attribute that provides an individual with a sense of pride and can originate from many different sources.

• The sense of personal accomplishments also reflect courage and determination as well as psychological and emotional success.

Research Strategy:

• We began by looking for academic research papers on the topic. We found several case studies on sites like Oapen and Semanticcholar but the case studies provided information on the personal and professional accomplishments, which was useful only for the differences.

• We also looked on websites of HR magazines and business magazines such as HCAmag and INC. While we were able to find a few insights about why people feel different about certain accomplishments, they did not differentiate between accomplishments at work and accomplishments outside of work.

• As a last resort, we looked for opinions/views from researchers or psychologists on why they think there is difference in feeling an accomplishment at work and outside of work. While we were able to find some information about accomplishments from Psychology Today the information did not differentiate between the work accomplishments and outside-of-work accomplishments.

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

• According to Stefanie Wichansky, the CEO at Randolph, if a person wants to achieve a sense of accomplishment at work, benchmarks and progress should be prioritized for small goals.
• The feeling of accomplishment should be acknowledged because it triggers the brain and lets the brain know that the work is exciting and important. 

WHAT LEADS TO A FEELING/SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AT WORK?

PRODUCTIVITY:

• A feeling of accomplishment makes an employee highly productive.
• According to research, using tools and systems to achieve a sense of accomplishment among the workers leads to higher productivity, satisfaction, and motivation.

WORK CONFIDENCE/ENGAGEMENT:

• According to a management consulting and staffing firm called Professional Resource Partners, a big difference can be seen from one to two weeks of doing a certain work when a person sets a progress benchmark and conducts regular check-ins with that benchmark.
• According to Tom Catalini, it feels nice to go home at the end of the day with a sense of accomplishment. People can gain a great deal of confidence if they know that they are on the right track of their work.
• When there is a feeling or a sense of accomplishment at work, people become motivated to engage in their work, develop more skills, and improve their work.

POSITIVITY AT WORK:

• According to a survey, happiness is the most powerful driver of the sense of accomplishment for employees under 35 years old.
• According to a book written by Laura Vanderkam called "What the Most Successful People Do at Work", the sense of accomplishment fuels people's desire to work and brings them joy. The sense of accomplishment can be gained by focusing on the measurable core parts of the work being done.

REWARDS AND RECOGNITION

• Some employers recognize the accomplishments of their employees through tenure, training, and promotions.
• Most of the employers recognize and reward their employees for their accomplishments and encourage them to maintain those accomplishments.
• According to Startups, the sense of accomplishment comes from a culture of acknowledgment and recognition. Therefore, the sense of accomplishment is important for a person and a company.

1. Smaller Accomplishments and Bigger Accomplishments

2. Dopamine and Motivation

• Scientifically, celebrating accomplishments releases dopamine in our body which makes us feel energized.
• Neurologically, dopamine acts before we achieve something. However, dopamine level drops in moments of great stress.
• People willing to work harder have higher levels of dopamine.
• The mentioned physiological phenomenon makes us focus and also helps us to repeat the said activity that made us feel inflamed.

3. Frequency of Accomplishments

YOUR RESEARCH TEAM APPLIED THE FOLLOWING STRATEGY:

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT: PERMA MODEL

•  PERMA Model is developed by psychologist Martin Seligman, founder of positive psychology, and it refers to the five elements necessary to create a fulfilling, happy and meaningful life.
• These 5 elements are P = Positivity, E = Engagement, R = Relationships, M = Meaning, and A = Accomplishment.
• "Persevering with your goals, mastering skills and achieving short and long term goals leads to a sense of accomplishment."

BUILDING ACCOMPLISHMENT

• Setting sub-goals — smaller goals are important since it serves as markers/stepping stones for larger goals and will sustain motivation.
• Include values — goals are likely to be accomplished if linked with values.
• Adopt a growth mindset approach — maintain a positive approach.

THE FRAMEWORK OF ACHIEVEMENT BESTS

• "The Framework of Achievement Bests explores best practice by focusing on the following: (i) discern and define different levels of best practice and (ii) an underlying psychological process that attempts to explain the achievement of optimal best practice. "
• The Framework of Achievement Bests has two major levels of best practice: (i) realistic achievement best, which is defined as ‘an individual's actual competence at any given time to learn and/or to solve a problem’, and (ii) optimal achievement best, which is defined as ‘an individual's striving to demonstrate and/or to seek mastery in competence at any given time, reflecting his/her fullest capacity’.
• "Realistic and optimal achievement bests differ in that the former is actual best practice, whereas the latter is non‐actual, emphasizing instead on a positioning to demonstrate an exceptional level of best practice that reflects maximization in potential. "
• In the realistic best practice, task is specific and the level of feeling is moderate while in the optimal best practice, level of feeling is extreme and the goal is in broader sense.

LEVELS OF PERCEIVED ACCOMPLISHMENT

• "When the goal is specific, scale-induced round numbers lead to higher perceived accomplishment at lower progress levels, whereas, when the goal is not specific, they lead to higher perceived accomplishment at higher progress levels."
• This study can be associated with the research criteria where specific goals can be specific tasks and non-specific goals are referring to an overall sense of accomplishment.

HOW SPECIFIC TASKS/DAILY TASK COMPLETION RELATED TO OVERALL SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

• A study by Amabile and Kramer shows that the practice of recording helps with appreciation of "small wins" that can boost self-confidence, motivation, and sense of accomplishment.
• Specific tasks or sub-goals serves as stepping stones for larger goals and keeps someone motivated.

Research Strategy:

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEELING, SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AND WORK MANAGEMENT

• Nurturing feelings of accomplishment is an important skill in any person's toolbox.
• When confronted with tasks that are too big to complete in a single day, workers can end up feeling like they have accomplished very little.
• Breaking larger tasks into smaller subtasks and steps to complete not only helps organize the process to be used but allows employees to check off sub-tasks finished daily, leading to an increased sense of accomplishment.
• Therefore, there is a clear relationship between how employees manage their work and their sense of accomplishment.

INDIVIDUAL SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

• When a person experiences even small pieces of success, their brain releases dopamine, resulting in feelings of pleasure, learning, and motivation.
• One of the best-described roles for dopamine is in learning about rewards.
• When a person feels the effects of dopamine, they are likely to want to repeat the actions that produced that success in the first place.
• Neuroscientists refer to this as self-directed learning.
•  Checking tasks off on a checklist releases a small amount of dopamine.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Managing a group of people are not as simple as completing tasks on a checklist.
• It is often difficult for a team manager to self evaluate because a lot of what they do is qualitative and therefore difficult to measure.
• People tend to notice when there is a lack of team management — communication channels are weak, people are not sure what others are working on, and unexpected problems create delays.
• However, when things are going smoothly in a team, even skilled managers find it difficult to pinpoint what they do that makes them successful.

TEAM MANAGEMENT SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

1. WORK/TEAMWORK IMPROVES ACCOMPLISHMENT

• A 2018 study on teamwork performance and accomplishment of employees reveal that teamwork is defined and deliberated among researchers as an essential occupational skill required by workers to accomplish and achieve the visions, plans, goals, and objectives of any organization. Working as a team member activates and enhances the performances of the workers of an organization.
• Team workers have a greater sense of accomplishment as they often complete tasks and reach goals that would not be possible when working alone.
• Teamwork is the only way through which tasks get accomplished with high quality and efficiency. Teamwork and collaboration foster accomplishment and economic growth.

2. FEELINGS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE DERIVED FROM WORKING

• The findings of George and Sabapathy in 2011 reveal that the feelings of achievement, competence, and accomplishments often derived from performing tasks on one's job constitutes intrinsic motivators referred to as "psychological" rewards.
• A recent analysis of employee motivational levels conducted among employee reveals that 80.4% of people believe their work gives them a feeling of personal accomplishment. When asked if work gives them a sense of personal accomplishment, 36.9% of respondents agreed, while 43.8% strongly agreed.

3. ACCOMPLISHED PEOPLE WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY

• People often look for shortcuts to work less in the short term; however, accomplished people simplify processes which help them work more efficiently in the long run. Even better, accomplished people often simplify processes and outsource their work for margin.
• Accomplished people work for results and are result oriented. A recent interview of over 200 ultra-successful people, made up of seven billionaires, 13 Olympians, several accomplished people reveal that accomplishments get them promoted at work. Accomplished people know the activities that drive the most significant results. They tend to focus on such substantial tasks and ignore the rest.
• People who work smarter (not harder) accomplish more daily. They measure their results and not the time spent on a task. Research findings reveal that placing importance on hours spent on physical activity over action or results leads to inefficiency at the workplace.

METHODOLOGY