The working relationship is important, yet many supervisors do not pay appropriate attention to nurturing effective workplace communication.
Have you ever felt like you are working hard but unsure if it is what is expected? You may have felt that way in your personal life and understand the devastating impact of feeling disconnected from someone you care about. Guess what? According to one article in Havard Business Review, the average person will spend more than 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime. If you are doing the math, that is over 10 years. The average marriage in the United States before a divorce is 8 years. So many folks will spend more time in the working relationship than the marital one; many of us will spend more time at work than with our families. The working relationship is important, yet many supervisors do not pay appropriate attention to nurturing effective workplace communication. Poor communication and misunderstandings in our personal lives lead to irreconcilable differences and divorce, and the same can happen at work, which is just as costly to the parties involved.
The Link Between Clarity and Engagement
Clarity is the foundation of engagement. When employees know exactly what’s expected of them, they stop guessing and start contributing with confidence, purpose, and ownership. Without clarity, even your best talent will check out. Employees need clear goals and roles. Lack of clarity leads to confusion, stress, and disengagement.
Why Clarity Fuels Meaningfulness in the Workplace
Clarity is a critical driver of psychological meaningfulness in the workplace, as demonstrated in William Kahn’s research on employee engagement. Here’s how clarity fuels meaningfulness:
1. Clear Goals Enable Personal Investment
Tasks with clearly defined goals provide a solid foundation for psychological meaningfulness because they give employees a better chance of succeeding. Employees are more likely to invest themselves—physically, cognitively, and emotionally—when they know what is expected and can envision successful outcomes.
2. Ambiguity Undermines Meaningfulness
A lack of clarity—such as vague directions or ambiguous leadership—leads to disengagement. One example from the architecture firm in Kahn’s study described how unclear design sketches from a supervisor (“scribbles, bubbles, and waves”) left employees confused and uncertain, making it harder for them to find meaning in their work.
3. Clarity Supports Autonomy and Ownership
Clear tasks spur healthy autonomy, another key factor in meaningful work. When individuals understand the goal but have space to choose the path, they feel a greater sense of ownership and pride, further enhancing meaningfulness.
4. Meaningfulness Emerges from Alignment
Kahn observed that people derive meaningfulness when their roles and tasks align with their sense of self and values. Clarity in role expectations helps people assess what fits more easily, reinforcing their willingness to bring their full selves to the job.
Clarity is not just about efficiency or communication—it is a crucial foundation of psychological engagement. It helps people answer one of Kahn’s essential questions: “How meaningful is it for me to bring myself into this performance?” When expectations are clear, people are more likely to feel their work matters and thus engage more deeply.
*Read more about William Kahn’s research: PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT AND DISENGAGEMENT AT WORK
Warning Signs of Misalignment in the Workplace
Coming out of the global pandemic, I was in a lot of pain. Before the lockdown, I was constantly on the road. But sitting at home did a number on my body. I was out of alignment. I had to go to physical therapy to strengthen my sedentary muscles and realign my body.
Misalignment is bad. It causes aches and pain, frustration, weakness, and exhaustion. Having one part of the body out of whack has a cascading impact on the entire body. The same thing happens in the workplace when a lack of clarity throws a team out of whack, and there is misalignment on the job.
Here are a few things to look for to see if misalignment has crept into our workforce:
- Repeated Mistakes or Rework: When expectations are unclear, employees may head in the wrong direction—wasting time, energy, and resources.
- Inconsistent Performance Across Team Members: People interpret unclear instructions differently, leading to uneven output and friction between coworkers.
- Low Morale and Frustration: Employees feel like they are failing despite their efforts, which leads to disengagement and a sense of helplessness.
- Over- or Under-functioning Team Members: Some people take on too much trying to “figure it out,” while others withdraw due to uncertainty—both behaviors reflect role confusion.
- Meetings That Rehash the Same Issues: If meetings often circle back to unresolved or misunderstood tasks, it is a sign the team lacks aligned expectations.
- Frequent Questions About Priorities or Deadlines: This signals that people are unsure what is most important—or when it is due.
- Delayed Decision-Making: Teams hesitate to act without a clear understanding of roles or authority.
- Blame Culture or Finger Pointing: Ambiguity breeds defensiveness. When no one knows who is responsible, everyone scrambles to avoid accountability.
5 Simple Ways Leaders Can Create Role Clarity
Clarity drives employee engagement by helping employees understand the mission and allowing them to see their role in accomplishing it. Here are five simple ways to create role clarity.
- Co-create clear job descriptions.
- Set expectations during onboarding and check-ins.
- Align individual goals with team objectives.
- Offer regular feedback and coaching.
- Ask: “What do you need to succeed this week?”
From Clarity to Workplace Culture
When employees know what is expected, they feel more purpose, motivation, and ownership. Start building a healthy, engaging culture in your organization today, unlocking team potential for innovation & growth.
Download 10 Free Tips to Improve Employee Engagement: The Art of Harmonious Trust
