THE WORK FRAME™
Performance tells us something important. But not everything.
Organizations are good at seeing results: what someone accomplished, whether expectations were met, and the contribution they made. But performance alone doesn’t tell us much about the experience producing those results. Someone can be performing well while their capacity is being stretched, their learning has slowed, or the work is becoming less worthwhile. Work Frame™ provides a way to see that experience more clearly.
Work Frame is built around three deceptively simple questions.
PERFORMANCE
Can I perform?
Not “Am I a good performer?” Rather: Do I experience the conditions that allow me to perform effectively?
Direction → Attention → Results → Capacity → Energy → Agency → Clarity → Accomplishment
LEARNING
Am I growing?
Not “Have I received enough training?” Rather: Is the experience of doing my work continuing to develop me?
Curiosity → Skill Development → Challenge → Reflection → Feedback → Progress → Experimentation → Discovery
ENJOYMENT
Is it still worth it?
Not “Am I happy or satisfied at work?” Rather: Does the experience of my work continue to provide enough value to make it worth doing?
Anticipation → Well-being → Flow → Meaning → Joy → Connection → Fulfillment → Alignment
Meaning, connection and belonging, and purpose aren’t missing from Work Frame. They’re part of the richer idea of Enjoyment.
A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT PERFORMANCE
Two perspectives matter.
ORGANIZATION → PERSON
How is this person performing for the organization?
Expand the performance question beyond results to understand the underlying conditions that enable strong performance.
PERSON → EXPERIENCE
What is the experience beneath the results?
Understand whether performance can continue by seeing the person’s capacity, growth, and sense of worth in the work.
Why the three dimensions matter together
Performance, Learning, and Enjoyment don’t always move together.
Strong performance supported by growth and a worthwhile experience.
Performance remains strong, but development may be slowing.
Performance and growth remain strong, but the experience may be taking more than it gives.
P ↑ L ↓ E ↓
The results may still look good. The experience beneath them is telling a different story.
THE WORK FRAME REFLECTION™
From framework to reflection.
The Work Frame Reflection™ turns the model into a structured opportunity to step back and consider the experience of work.
24
statements
8 · 8 · 8
Performance · Learning · Enjoyment
4–6 weeks
based on the individual’s recent experience
It’s not a performance rating. The purpose isn’t to judge someone or their performance, but to create a clearer picture of their current experience.
INTELLECTUAL ROOTS
Work Frame is influenced by work with Tim Gallwey’s Inner Game methodology and training as a Certified Methodology Facilitator with The Inner Game Institute. The underlying principle is simple: before trying to change performance, see more clearly what’s actually happening. That gives the model intellectual provenance without confusing ownership.
The Work Frame In Practice