It has been seen that in the event that you tell a manager that a subordinate has potential, the supervisor will be more receptive, gives the subordinate extra time for assignments, and also additional inputs are given to the subordinate. The subordinate accepting this consideration and reveling in the manager’s conviction adapts progressively and is more productive at work. It doesn’t make a difference if the employee is really brilliant. The only thing that is important is that the manager as a guide has confidence in the subordinate.
This particularly human wonder is known as the “Pygmalion Effect”. It is a relentlessly held confidence in someone to such an extent that the conviction turns into a reality. There are a few people with whom we normally feel good, who think our thoughts are incredible. When they hear us out, we convey what needs to with lucidity and knowledge. This is on the basis of their trust that they see us in this light. We, knowing how they feel about us, strive to ensure they are happy with our efforts. The inverse is also valid. There are individuals with whom we are not happy and who we accept don’t care for us. We maintain a strategic distance from these individuals and don’t put forth a great amount of effort when we are around them. With these individuals we are reluctant and share far less understanding. More often than not we are less inclined to make a decent attempt to motivate them to comprehend our perspective.
Let us consider the following five-step process of how a manager’s impression (whether right or wrong) may be instrumental in governing the behavior of the employee:
1. The manager sets expectations.
2. In light of these expectations, the manager behaves in a particular manner.
3. The manager’s treatment tells every employee what conduct and what accomplishment the manager anticipates.
4. The consistent behavior of the manager tends to shape the employee’s conduct and accomplishment.
5. With time, the employee’s conduct and accomplishment will increase nearly to that expected of him or her.
Once a subordinate has been perceived early as say, a “troublemaker” or “not able to work in teams”, the odds are expanded that our treatment of this worker will basicallyenable our negative predictions or expectations to materialize. Here the Pygmalion effect would work to the disadvantage of the worker. On the other hand, if we associate a representative as “helpful” or ” self-starter”,this expands the odds that our treatment of the subordinate will spur and motivate the worker and thus add to the worker satisfying manager’s positive predictions. For this situation, the Pygmalion effect would work to the worker’s advantage.
In effect ‘Faith in the power of human spirit is all that it requires’ by a manager to uphold the positive side of the Pygmalion effect. May the tribe of these positive Pygmalion managers increase!
Author-
Dr. Dharmesh K. Mishra
Professor SIIB