Enabling Conditions: The Path to Wellbeing and High Performance

In my previous article, I highlighted the critical role of context in performance and cautioned against over-reliance on personality traits in assessing performance and potential. Building on these insights, we now turn to the practical challenge of creating enabling conditions that support employee wellbeing, resilience, and high performance. In doing so, we also expose the weaknesses of traditional top-down performance management systems¹ and outline steps toward a more positive, productive approach. 

This approach is grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and is operationalised through "purposeful conversations" that promote balanced information processing. These insights coalesce in the Pario 5C model², which emphasises five key leadership practices – clarity, connection, conviction, consistency, and capability development. Feedback is an essential element throughout, encouraging anticipation and responsiveness. Finally, we apply a systems thinking lens, recognising that all parts of the organisation (and the people within it) are deeply interdependent.

Creating Enabling Conditions

"Enabling conditions" in the workplace refer to positive, trust-based relationships (fulfilling the need for relatedness), opportunities to build competence, and a degree of self-directed autonomy. These elements correspond to the core psychological needs identified by SDT³ and provide a foundation for meaningful, purpose-driven work, supported by ongoing dialogue. Furthermore, a leader’s authority and credibility are sustainable only if their behaviour aligns with overarching ethical standards – Superordinate Principles (Super-Ps, learn more here) – that define what is reasonable and expected. In global ethics frameworks (e.g., OECD and UNESCO guidelines)⁷, a clear set of higher-order principles recurs:

• Justice/Equality – impartial fairness and equal standing.
• Transparency – openness and truthfulness.
• Accountability – answerability and responsibility.
• Sustainability/Stewardship – trust over time and intergenerational legitimacy.
• Integrity/Authenticity – coherence of values and actions (operationalised through balanced processing, relational transparency, and self-awareness).

Meeting core human needs through such principles is thought to support social cohesion and foster trust, consistency, and continuity over time. Team leaders and managers reinforce the culture each day through their actions. Traditional transformational leadership theories emphasised a leader’s vision, charisma, and ‘individualised consideration’; however, empirical evidence suggests this approach offers little insight into the psychological processes that truly drive motivation and engagement⁴.

More recent research by Amabile and Kramer⁵ highlights the importance of steady progress toward meaningful goals, described as the Progress Principle. They found that the single most powerful driver of workplace engagement and creativity is making progress in meaningful work, and even small “wins” make a difference. This work also introduced “Catalysts” – conditions that directly support progress (like clear goals, autonomy, and sufficient resources) – and “Nourishers” – interpersonal supports (such as encouragement, trust, and constructive feedback) that sustain motivation and wellbeing.

These insights underscore the value of ongoing dialogue between leaders and team members. One practical framework is the AIMS model, which structures conversations around Awareness, Insight, Meaning, and Support. 

Awareness starts with active listening to understand context – what happened, who was involved, and any relevant updates. A conversation might simply begin with, “How’s it going?” helping establish a shared reality.

Next, Insight is gained by discussing changes to plans, emerging challenges, or recent feedback (for example, a new client request, or an unexpected development).

This naturally leads to Meaning, where the leader and team connect the task to its broader purpose: why the work matters, whom it benefits, and how it aligns with team or organisational goals. Emphasising this meaning helps individuals internalise their objectives – people are far more motivated when they understand the rationale behind their work and see how it connects to their professional identity. 

Finally, Support involves pinpointing what resources, skills, or coaching are needed to overcome obstacles and keep progress on track. Short feedback cycles and visible progress markers help turn a sense of obligation into personal agency, with each small win building confidence and ‘confirmed competence’.

Authenticity and Engagement

Purposeful AIMS conversations also promote balanced processing of information, which is one of the four pillars of authentic leadership⁶. The authentic leadership model highlights four key capacities:

• Self-awareness: understanding one’s values, motives, and impact (enhanced by reflection and feedback).
• Relational transparency: open, honest communication – sharing information candidly and admitting mistakes to create psychological safety.
• Internalised moral perspective: ensuring decisions align with high ethical standards (the Super-Ps) rather than external pressures, thus embedding fairness and consistency.
• Balanced processing: actively seeking diverse perspectives, weighing evidence objectively, and resisting biases in decision-making.

When leaders consistently demonstrate these behaviours, they cultivate a culture of trust, resilience, and legitimacy that helps the organisation thrive even in complex environments.

In practice, AIMS-based conversations encourage leaders to use multiple lenses in problem-solving: improving factual sensing, exploring broader implications, attending to people’s feelings, and ultimately arriving at a more objective analysis. By contrast, many traditional work cultures fixate on immediate “facts” and rush to closure, but this straight-line thinking truncates dialogue, overlooks alternatives, and undermines engagement.

Another crucial element involves extrinsic task motivation – reflecting a sense of obligation to meet others’ expectations. This perspective reinforces a systems view by highlighting interdependence: team members are motivated when they appreciate how their work affects others (and vice versa). Many of the elements are captured in the Pario 5C model², a practical checklist of five themes for healthy team climates: Clarity, Connection, Conviction, Consistency, and Capability.

This framework guides leaders to create environments where expectations are clear, relationships are supportive, purpose is understood, routines are fair, and progress is visible. These conditions can be continually reinforced through purposeful conversations that surface facts, test interpretations, and set short-term, achievable next steps.

High-quality 360 degree feedback is a valuable tool here: it provides leaders with a multi-perspective view of how well they are creating these conditions, highlights blind spots, e.g. in meeting others’ expectations, and grounds development in observable behaviour.

Conclusion

Together, the 5C model coupled with related 360 feedback offers a coherent, actionable path to improving leadership practice – and strengthens motivation across teams. Grounding a work culture in Super-Ps and the 5Cs naturally supports diversity and inclusion, yielding better outcomes for everyone. By leveraging these elements, Business Psychologists can help leaders achieve more effective interventions that serve to enhance organisational wellbeing and overall performance.

About the Author

David Sharpley, AFBPsS, is the author of “Leadership Principles and Purpose” (Routledge) and creator of the Pario online resources – used by clients and associates to support leadership development and enhance work culture. Drawing on extensive experience and research insights, David works closely with associates, offering direct access to 360 feedback tools – including the “5C with 360” report option. Contact David at [email protected] 

References

1. Murphy, K. R. (2025). The illusion of performance management. Human Resource Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.70016
2. Sharpley, D. (2024). Leadership Principles and Purpose. Routledge.
3. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
4. Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta‐analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755–768.
5. Amabile, T. M., & Kramer, S. J. (2011). The progress principle: Using small wins to ignite joy, engagement, and creativity at work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
6. Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126.
7. OECD, Recommendation of the Council on Open Government (2017)… and UNESCO. (2021). Recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence. 

Author-Recommended Further Reading

• First Principles vs. Superordinate principles… click on the “Abstract” link: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781003439707-27/first-principles-vs-superordinate-principles-david-sharpley?context=ubx
• Superordinate Principles for Leadership in UK Organisations https://community.theabp.org.uk/media_center/file/b13d38d3-ccb9-4006-9933-96c3a6796eb4