Published Online:March 2025
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Soft Skills
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJSS010325
DOI:10.71329/IUPJSS/2025.19.1.5-21
Author Name:Misha Subhani, Grace Lemmon and Goran Kuljanin
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:5-21
Self-transcendence is defined as the ability to transcend our own impulsive, short-term-thinking ego, thereby fostering a heightened awareness and interest towards future versions of ourselves that align with our values, with a grander vision for our lives, and/or with broader communal or humanitarian endeavors. Previous research on the concept has been completed outside of organizational settings and generally focuses on finding deep meaning after confronting one’s mortality. This paper describes why self-transcendence skill develops in professional spaces, revealing that it can be catalyzed even in the absence of profound and difficult life circumstances, and what use of the skill means for employee’s mental flourishing. By and large, the data demonstrates that self-transcendence at work creates an opportunity to establish healthy work-life boundaries, fosters a sense of motivation and empowerment, helps contextualize and accept unforgiving vicissitudes of life, prompts an interest in personal growth, and inspires interest in deeper relational connection. As such, self-transcendence at work is positioned as a novel path for mental flourishing. Implications for employee’s mental wellbeing—and organizational effectiveness—are discussed in light of these findings.
What Is Self-Transcendence and Why Should Organizations Care? Organizations invest heavily in building skills germane to taskwork and teamwork— upwards of $101 bn in 2023—and rightfully so, as proficient and efficient execution of employee work, often done interdependently, fuels an organization’s financial success.