Please Watch The TED Talk. After Viewing It, Please ✓ Solved

Please watch the Ted Talk. After viewing the Ted Talk, pleas

Please watch the Ted Talk. After viewing the Ted Talk, please write a minimum of 750 words paper about pursuing your passion and how you view the importance of finding the right job that fits your passion. What would happen if you did not fit into the environment? Would you alter your passion to fit into the work environment? Please use APA formatting and provide two citations from the textbook.

Paper For Above Instructions

Introduction

Pursuing a passion while aligning it with a career is a central challenge in modern work life. Employees who identify a career that fits their intrinsic interests and values typically show higher engagement, greater psychological well-being, and stronger long-term performance (Ryan & Deci, 2000; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). This paper examines the importance of finding the right job that fits one’s passion, explores consequences when an individual does not fit into a work environment, and discusses whether altering one’s passion to fit a workplace is advisable. The discussion integrates organizational behavior theory and motivation scholarship, including insights from common organizational behavior textbooks (Robbins & Judge, 2019; Noe et al., 2017).

The Importance of Matching Passion and Job

When work aligns with an individual's passion, intrinsic motivation flourishes (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Intrinsic motivation is associated with deeper focus, creativity, and persistence—factors central to flow experiences (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Organizational behavior research finds that employees who feel their roles resonate with personal values and interests report higher job satisfaction and lower turnover intentions (Robbins & Judge, 2019). Moreover, viewing work as a calling or vocation fosters resilience and long-term commitment (Hall & Chandler, 2005). Practically, a good fit between passion and job can increase innovation, customer service quality, and discretionary effort, enhancing both individual and organizational outcomes (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001).

Consequences of Poor Fit

Not fitting into a work environment can produce several negative outcomes. Misfit generates stress, reduced engagement, and faster burnout when individuals face persistent value or task mismatch (Hakanen, Bakker, & Schaufeli, 2006). When a job fails to provide autonomy, competence, and relatedness—key needs outlined by self-determination theory—motivation declines and absenteeism or turnover becomes more likely (Ryan & Deci, 2000). From an organizational perspective, poor fit can reduce cohesion and lead to underutilized talent, as employees avoid taking initiative or cease pursuing projects that reflect their passions (Noe et al., 2017). In sum, prolonged misalignment harms psychological health and organizational performance.

Options When You Don’t Fit

If someone discovers they do not fit into their current environment, there are several paths to consider. First, job crafting—proactively reshaping tasks, relationships, or cognitive framing of work—can create better alignment between passion and role without leaving the organization (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001). Second, seeking internal mobility or role redesign allows employees to transfer to positions that better reflect their interests (Robbins & Judge, 2019). Third, pursuing lateral moves, part-time projects, or volunteer work that express core passions can sustain personal meaning while maintaining employment stability.

Should You Alter Your Passion?

Altering one’s passion solely to fit an environment raises ethical and practical concerns. Passion is often tied to identity and long-term motivation; suppressing or fundamentally changing it can lead to alienation and reduced well-being (Vallerand et al., 2003). However, passions can mature and broaden over time. The adaptive option is not to abandon passion but to develop complementary skills or reframe interests so they are applicable across contexts (Pink, 2009). For example, someone passionate about teaching might translate that passion into corporate training or learning design roles. This approach preserves the essence of the passion while enabling career flexibility.

Balancing Adaptation and Authenticity

A balanced strategy recognizes the importance of authenticity while accepting pragmatic adaptation. Career development literature suggests cultivating transferable competencies—communication, problem solving, and leadership—that allow passions to be expressed in multiple environments (Noe et al., 2017). Simultaneously, employees should seek environments that provide psychological support for passion (autonomy, mastery, purpose), because without these elements, even adapted passions may falter (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Organizations can facilitate this balance by offering job design practices, mentorship, and pathways for internal mobility (Robbins & Judge, 2019).

Practical Recommendations

For individuals: 1) Perform a values-and-skills audit to clarify non-negotiables and flexible elements of your passion. 2) Experiment through projects or job crafting before making major career moves. 3) Build transferable skills that allow passion expression across roles.

For organizations: 1) Create platforms for employees to pursue passion projects and internal mobility. 2) Practice job design that increases task variety and autonomy to enable passion-driven work. 3) Offer coaching to help employees integrate personal passions with organizational goals (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001; Robbins & Judge, 2019).

Conclusion

Pursuing one’s passion in the workplace is valuable both for personal fulfillment and organizational success. When a job fits an individual’s passion, motivation, creativity, and retention improve (Ryan & Deci, 2000; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). When fit is lacking, job crafting, internal moves, and skill development offer alternatives to abandoning one’s passion. Altering a passion to fit a work environment is generally inadvisable if it means losing one’s core identity; a better route is adaptive translation—finding ways to express the same underlying drives in roles that are attainable within the environment. Both individuals and organizations share responsibility: individuals should clarify and communicate their passions and seek skill flexibility, while organizations should design roles and cultures that allow passion to be productive.

References

• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
• Hakanen, J. J., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). Burnout and work engagement among teachers. Journal of School Psychology, 43(6), 495–513.
• Hall, D. T., & Chandler, D. E. (2005). Psychological success: When the career is a calling. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(2), 155–176.
• Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Fundamentals of human resource management (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
• Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. Riverhead Books.
• Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2019). Organizational behavior (18th ed.). Pearson.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
• Vallerand, R. J., et al. (2003). Les passions de l'âme: On passion and its role in performance and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(4), 756–767.
• Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201.
• Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Rand McNally.