Workplace 101: A Profiles Global Business Blog

Curious Insight into Employee Motivation and the Pygmalion Effect

By “great expectations,” I’m not referring to the Dickens book. Presumably when you hire or promote someone, you expect great things from them. You don’t think, “Yes, this warm body will be adequate enough, I suppose.” If so, then you’re probably not reading this article. Studies based on the Pygmalion Effect have shown that people will perform up – or down – to the level of expectations you set for them.

Much has been written about the Pygmalion Effect (most notably a study by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson), or the notion of self-fulfilling prophecy, from the viewpoint of parenting and teaching, but the same can be said for businesses. Do you scold, criticize, and demean your employees, or do you positively and constructively encourage them?

If you had to choose the single most important deciding factor in hiring someone, what would it be? It is hard to select only one criterion but most hiring managers would tend to lean towards the ability of a candidate to do the job. That seems like a smart decision. If you are deciding between two candidates and one is more skilled than the other, you naturally select him or her, right? Not according to Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. At Zappos, company culture trumps everything else.

Customer service is important but according to Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, one thing may be even more important: company culture. He is a strong believer that if a company gets that right, everything else will fall into place.

Jeffrey Meyers researched and edited this article.

Coworkers and colleagues spend so much time together, often more time at work than at home. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s helpful to recognize that office romances are difficult to avoid – it’s hard to intervene when there’s a spark. The most important concerns resulting from office romances are conflicts of interest and work distractions. The extent to which you can manage and minimize these problems will keep your operations running effectively and drama-free.