Skip to main content

The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer - book review

The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work* by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer

"The single most important thing you can do to make your employees happy, engaged, and productive is to help them make progress on meaningful work." 

- Teresa Amabile

In the bustling world of modern business, where deadlines loom and stress levels soar, "The Progress Principle" offers a refreshing, research-backed approach to leadership. Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, both experts in psychology and management, delve into what truly motivates employees and how leaders can foster a more productive and joyful workplace. Published by Harvard Business Review Press, this book is not just another management manual—it's a dive into the psychology of work.

At the heart of *The Progress Principle* is a simple yet powerful idea: managing progress is far more effective than managing people. Through a rigorous analysis of nearly 12,000 diary entries from employees across various organizations, Amabile and Kramer uncover that the most significant driver of motivation and creativity is the sense of progress in meaningful work. This concept is elegantly broken down into essential forces that enable progress: "catalysts" and "nourishers."

Catalysts are events that directly facilitate project work, such as clear goals, autonomy, and sufficient resources. Nourishers, on the other hand, are interpersonal events that uplift workers, including encouragement, respect, and camaraderie. The authors argue that by focusing on these elements, managers can create an environment where employees not only perform at their best but also find joy and fulfillment in their daily tasks.

The book is filled with practical advice, real-life examples, and insights that challenge traditional management practices. It emphasizes the importance of creating a positive inner work life for employees—a state where they experience consistently positive emotions, strong motivation, and favorable perceptions of their work and organization.

Amabile and Kramer’s work is a read for any leader who wants to move beyond superficial motivational tactics and tap into the deeper, more enduring sources of employee engagement. Their research is thorough, their conclusions are insightful, and their advice is actionable. The book dismantles the myth that managing people with a heavy hand or through sheer oversight is effective. Instead, it shows that by focusing on small wins and creating an environment that fosters progress, leaders can unlock the full potential of their teams.

One of the book's insights is the idea that progress, even in the smallest form, can ignite a sense of joy and engagement that fuels creativity. This principle is not only applicable in the corporate world but can be extended to any area where people strive to achieve meaningful goals.

Who is the publisher of The Progress Principle?

It is published by Harvard Business Review Press.

What is the price of The Progress Principle Book?

Price of the book is US$30.00 or CAN$37.50 approximate.

Who are the authors of this book?

TERESA AMABILE is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration and a Director of Research at Harvard Business School. The author has long studied creativity, motivation, and performance in the workplace.

STEVEN KRAMER is a developmental psychologist and has coauthored articles in management periodicals, including Harvard Business Review and Leadership Quarterly.

Who has designed the cover of the book, The Progress Principle?


The cover jacket has been designed by PHILIP PASCUZZO

How many pages does The Progress Principle have?

The hardcover copy of the book 📖 spans 257 pages.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Also read

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Why does Mrs Dalloway still speak to you after a hundred years? A human reading of Virginia Woolf’s novel A reflective and thoughtful review of Mrs Dalloway that explores why Virginia Woolf’s modernist classic continues to resonate. From memory and mental health to love, regret, and time, this article examines characters, themes, context, and craft while questioning whether the novel still challenges and comforts today’s reader. Why does a novel about one ordinary day linger in your mind for years? This long form review of Mrs Dalloway explores through its quiet power. You will find analysis, critique, history, and personal reflection on why this book continues to unsettle and comfort readers alike. Can a single ordinary day hold an entire life? Have you ever reached the end of a day and wondered where it went, and more unsettlingly, where you went within it? That question sits at the heart of Mrs Dalloway , Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel that dares to suggest that the smallest moment...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spill the Tea: Noor and the Silence After Doing Everything right

Noor has done everything she was supposed to do — moved out, built a life, stayed independent. Yet beneath the neat routines and functional success lies a quiet emptiness she cannot name. Part of the Spill the Tea series, this story explores high-functioning loneliness, emotional flatness, and the unsettling fear of living a life that looks complete from the outside. The verandah was brighter than Noor expected. Morning light lay flat across the tiles, showing every faint scuff mark, every water stain from old monsoons. The air smelled of detergent from a neighbour’s washed curtains flapping overhead. On the table, the paneer patties waited in a cardboard bakery box I’d emptied onto a plate. A squeeze bottle of ketchup stood beside it, slightly sticky around the cap. Two cups of tea, steam already thinning. In one corner, a bamboo palm stood in a large terracotta planter. Thin stems. Too many leaves. Trying very hard to look like it belonged indoors. Noor sat down and pulled the chair ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why do we crave bookshops when life falls apart? A deep reading of Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

This article reflects on Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, a gentle novel about burnout, healing, and second chances. Through Yeong-ju and her quiet community, the book reminds you that meaning often returns slowly, through books, people, and ordinary days that begin to feel like home again. Why do so many of us secretly dream of walking away from everything? At some point, usually on a crowded weekday morning or during yet another meeting that could have been an email, you wonder if this is all there is. You did what you were told. You studied, worked hard, built a career, stayed responsible. And yet, instead of contentment, there is exhaustion. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop begins exactly at this uncomfortable truth. Hwang Bo-reum’s novel does not shout its intentions. It does not promise transformation through grand revelations. Instead, it sits beside you quietly and asks a gentler question. What if the problem is not that you failed, but that you nev...
Post a Comment
Read more