...Pygmalion in management The Pygmalion effect is based on the fact that people often live up to the high expectations of other individuals whether their managers, teachers or relatives. Others expectations often lead people to transcend their own abilities and talents and cause self-fulfilling prophecies. J Sterling Livingston, in this article, explores the various facets of this effect in management by looking at the results of different experiments related to it. In one of the examples of the Metropolitian Life Insurance Co., an experiment was carried out in which employees were divided to groups on the basis of previous performance and assigned managers of commensurate ability. As expected, the people of the superior performance group lived up to their expectations and performed admirably; on the other hand, the productivity of the lower performance group declined. However, the anomaly was the average performance group which performed beyond expectations the reason being the manager in charge of the group having a more positive image of her than the perception held by her superiors and the subsequent rub off this image and self-expectation of greater performance onto the entire group. The Pygmalion effect can also be observed in medical science in the form of placebo effect when a non-existent drug administered to patients by physicians who reinforce the efficacy of the same in their recovery often leads to miraculous results. Communication is however a critical factor...
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...The Pygmalion Effect in Management J. Sterling Livingston’s article “Pygmalion in Management,” published in the September/October 1988 edition of the Harvard Business Review, details a bizarrely effective phenomenon known as the “Pygmalion Effect” and it’s effect on managed staff. In short, this effect is defined as employees responding to the expectations and attitude of their manager towards them by living up to said expectations and effectively transforming the employees into the persons the manager perceives them as. Livingston firmly believes in the existence of this phenomenon and explains into detail the inherent double-edged nature of the effect and how a manager can use it to his or her advantage. After studying Livingston’s findings and following up with research and experience of my own, I am compelled to agree with Livingston’s views on the effect and how they can be used to enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. To look further into the Pygmalion Effect, one must first understand the mythos of Pygmalion, of which the phenomenon is named. Pygmalion, a Cypriot sculptor, carved the image of a woman out of ivory to fill the void of a lover and companion in his life. As the days went by, he grew increasingly infatuated with the statue and obsessively wished for it to be an actual human being. The gods took pity on his plight and granted Pygmalion’s wish. As he returned to his love, Pygmalion realized that his creation had taken human form as he had constantly...
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...LEADERSHIP AND EXPECTATIONS: PYGMALION EFFECTS AND OTHER SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES IN ORGANIZATIONS Dov Eden Tel Aviv University The Pygmalion effect is a type of self-fulfilling prophecy (SFP) in which raising manager expectations regarding subordinate performance boosts subordinate performance. Managers who are led to expect more of their subordinates lead them to greater achievement. Programmatic research findings from field experiments are reviewed, and our present knowledge about the Pygmalion effect in the management of industrial, sales, and military organizations is summarized. A model is presented in which leadership is hypothesized to be the key mediator through which manager expectations influence motivation, effort, and performance. The subordinate self-efficacy, performance expectations, behaviors that comprise the Pygmalion Leadership Style are described. Besides creating the one-onone Pygmalion effect, additional ways for managers to assert their leadership by creating productive organizationwide SFP are suggested. An agenda for research on SFP applications is proposed. Expectations play an important role in determining leadership effectiveness. Scholars and practitioners have assumed for a long time that leaders who expect more get more (e.g., Likert, 1961, 1967; McGregor, 1960). Despite this general awareness, until recently there was little empirical research illuminating how and why leader expectation effects operate...
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...Topic : The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Organisational Behaviour 1. The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy was coined by Robert Merton in 1948, describing it as how (1) an expectation may evoke a behaviour of an individual therefore increasing the chances of it becoming true. Merton concluded that (2) a belief eventually leads to a result as it influences the individual to change their behaviours to match your initial expectations. Example: My coach expects me to do well and he spends more time with me preparing for my competition. I performed well and got a gold medal. 2. Introduction More often that not, the outcomes of events that occur in a person’s life is the product of the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy. In this article, we will address these questions as follow. First, we present the definition of the self-fulfilling prophecies. Second, we will look at the process of the self-fulfilling prophecy and how it is applied in our everyday life. We subsequently identify the effects of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Fourth, we will discuss the relation of self-fulfilling prophecy to stereotypes. Finally, we will conclude by weighing up the pros and cons of the self-fulfilling prophecy and how it can be fully utilised in an organisation. 3. Applications of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies Three steps are involved in the self-fulfilling prophecy process (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2012). Process begins when Stage (1) ...
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...Pygmalion originates from the Greek mythology of a king of Cyprus. The king falls in love with an ivory sculpture of his own creation. Captivated by the beauty of his sculpture, he pleads to the Greek gods to give him a wife as much like the sculpture as possible. The gods bring the sculpted woman to life. In the theatrical version of Pygmalion, scriptwriter George Bernard attempts to prove the concept that “the way one person treats another can, for better or worse, be transforming” (Livingston, 5). In the article “Pygmalion in Management” author J. Sterling Livingston uses Barnard’s fairy tale and the Pygmalion effect, as a metaphor for his power of expectation arguments Livingston engages in various aspects of the Pygmalion effect in management by researching several different experiments related directly to the effect. The first experiment Livingston discusses is an experiment that took place by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The manager of this company assigned his best six insurance agents to his best assistant manager, assigned six average agents to an average manager, and six below-average agents to a below-average assistant manager. He requested that the best agents and manager produce two-thirds of the premium volume reached by the agency during the previous year. As the manager predicted, the members of the superior group fulfilled their expectations and as expected, the below-average group’s productivity declined. The average group however produced...
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...common phrase among educators is “The Pygmalion Effect”. The Pygmalion Effect speaks to teachers expectations of their students and how the teacher’s expectations affect their students’ educational outcome. A 2003 article written by Phillip Rainer found a direct correlation between student’s expectation and the Pygmalion Effect. The study underscored the fallacies of student expectation and the Pygmalion Effect. “The logic of the Pygmalion Effect is simple: if everyone thinks a child has talent then the child will have talent” (Riner 2003). Simply put, when teachers believe in students and allow that student to believe in themselves the student will begin to function in a different capacity in order to reach the expectation that has been set for him/her. Although, the research revealed that Pygmalion did affect student outcome, but the link was not casual. The entire theory...
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...Positive human relations functions are the basis for leadership success. Success for positive interactions in human relations is based on strong communication skills (GCU, 2014). Employee human relations and organizational human relations are developed at work. Therefore, human relations can be defined as the study of human behavior at work and an effort to take action in operating situations in order to produce better results. However, the art and science of human relations was not formally dealt with until the second half of the 19th century. Workers’ needs were beginning to be addressed at that time. Development of the human relations theory happened in six stages. The stages are classical thinking, systematic development, teaching and practice, refinement, decline, and evolving (Razik & Swanson, 2010). Stage 1 or the Stage of Classical Thinking happened Pre-1930’s. This stage states that human behavior is determined by economic needs and goals. Incentives contribute to the necessities of life and replenishment in the workforce. It is also thought that human problems are what stand in the way of productivity (Razik & Swanson, 2010). In today’s schools, teachers are incentivized by higher wages and benefits. Additionally, teachers are sometimes paid stipends for work with students after hours. Stage 2 or Systematic Development took place between the years of 1930-1950. The majority of modern human relations theory and practice developed during this...
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...full achievement and enthusiasm within an organization, motivation is an essential requirement. According Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, the definition of motivation is “To provide with a motive; to move; impel; induce; incite” (“Motivation”). Motivation of personnel is the greatest non-monetary factor that determines whether an organization is completely successful in its purpose. Without motivation in a business, work productivity becomes sluggish, employee development lags, and business plans are not achieved within their capable timeframe. Using characteristics that produce motivation are the key to having a completely successful and enthusiastic organization. There are several approaches management can use to try to instill motivation into an organization. Management attempts to instill motivation in employees by kicking them in the rear do not work (Herzberg 6). This method gets employees in an organization to work only for the moment and therefore is not successful. A successful organization utilizes a set of traits that work together to produce motivation. These traits are encouragement, communication, and teamwork. Encouragement A successful organization is filled with managers who impart encouragement. Whereas the use of fear is a poor motivator. The use of encouragement is a good motivator. Companies that are run on the basis of fear are known not to have motivated personnel. Companies that are run using encouragement have motivated personnel. Exhilarated...
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...Insights for Student Success in Higher Education Charles Kurose September 2013 MOTIVATION, BEHAVIOR, AND PERFORMANCE IN THE WORKPLACE I. INTRODUCTION Motivation is a subject that has long interested researchers and practitioners seeking to understand human behavior and performance. Over the course of the 20th century and into the new millennium, scholars have developed sweeping theories and have amassed large bodies of applied research investigating motivation across a variety of settings. Motivation has been studied in schools, the workplace, government, and athletic competitions, to name but a few contexts. It has been studied at the level of the individual, the group, and the organization. Some motivation researchers have employed cognitive models, which emphasize the role of thought processes in determining motivation and behavior, while other researchers have adopted non-cognitive paradigms, which focus on factors such as personality traits, affective states, and environmental determinants. This paper focuses specifically on research about motivation and behavior in the workplace. It discusses motivation theory, which has broad applicability across contexts, as well as the empirical research conducted in workplace contexts. In reviewing this literature, particular emphasis is placed on research about motivation and behavior as they relate to individual performance. A central aim of motivation research is to explicate the complex relationships that exist among motivation...
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...MOTIVATION, BEHAVIOR, AND PERFORMANCE IN THE WORKPLACE I. INTRODUCTION Motivation is a subject that has long interested researchers and practitioners seeking to understand human behavior and performance. Over the course of the 20th century and into the new millennium, scholars have developed sweeping theories and have amassed large bodies of applied research investigating motivation across a variety of settings. Motivation has been studied in schools, the workplace, government, and athletic competitions, to name but a few contexts. It has been studied at the level of the individual, the group, and the organization. Some motivation researchers have employed cognitive models, which emphasize the role of thought processes in determining motivation and behavior, while other researchers have adopted non-cognitive paradigms, which focus on factors such as personality traits, affective states, and environmental determinants. This paper focuses specifically on research about motivation and behavior in the workplace. It discusses motivation theory, which has broad applicability across contexts, as well as the empirical research conducted in workplace contexts. In reviewing this literature, particular emphasis is placed on research about motivation and behavior as they relate to individual performance. A central aim of motivation research is to explicate the complex relationships that exist among motivation, behavior, and performance—such knowledge is critical for managers tasked with...
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...retirement and it became my ambition to get a good job after graduation and climb the pinnacle of success from there. However, that mindset had since changed. At the boarding house in secondary school, I became laissez-faire about schooling and was always in trouble with seniors and even the school principal and got suspended a few times. My mum withdrew me from the school in my penultimate year to a school nearer home for close monitoring. A close friend of the family decided to mentor me and amazingly, I became more studious and serious minded and studied hard for my final exams. However, I did not make the matriculation grade to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos. My mentor therefore chaperoned me into studying Estate Management at Yaba College of Technology, with the proviso that I could return to the University of Lagos to study my dream course later. I loved the course and decided to continue and obtain direct entry into the University of Lagos at the end of my two years National Diploma course. Afterwards, I lost focus and became radical, constantly challenging the departmental authorities,...
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...How do my styles of Communication have an effect on my communication with others? This class has helped me break into who I believe I am and how I may reflect those beliefs onto others. I have found that my communications skills are very strong in some areas and could use some work in other areas. It is my opinion that many factors in life can help or hinder the way you communicate your needs, wants, emotions and thoughts. Many feel that by expressing their opinions or emotions others will portray them as being weak or overbearing and in some cases if a different approach of communication was taken, these expressions will have been perceived differently. Through my studies I have found that I am a very active listener with tendencies to be passive and can work at being more efficient in communicating my emotions in a productive manner. “Your personal success and happiness depend largely on your effectiveness as an interpersonal communicator.” (Devito, 2016) My communications skills are very strong when it comes to listening to others, being a lending ear and encouraging others to have open lines of communication. It is my opinion that many factors in life can help or hinder the way you communicate your needs, wants, emotions and thoughts. Many feel that by expressing their opinions or emotions others will portray them as being weak or overbearing and in some cases if a different approach of communication was taken, these expressions will have been perceived differently...
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...A clear vision statement delineates what the organization expects to accomplish in the future. Its purpose is to motivate employees and management to what the organization could be in the next three to five years (Comstock, 2015). In order for management to gain everyone's buy-in, they must include its team members and provide them an opportunity to engage and share the project’s vision. These goals must be realistic and obtainable (Comstock, 2015). Developing a team's vision statement is similar to developing an organizational vision statement. It is a transformation to what it currently is to what it could be in the near future. Determining the vision statement should be able to answer why the team exists, the impact it will have on stakeholders, and what it will achieve (Levitt, 2013). Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) program's vision statement is "To challenge ourselves and our customers to produce the best missile system at the lowest cost within two years". The vision statement shows the aspiration and inspiration (Free, 2014). The team should also deliver deliverables that are S.M.A.R.T., Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-activated (Levitt, 2013). The project team deliverables are to award contracts to two companies to develop a missile within two years, maintain within a budget of $800,000 per unit, and award the company with a multi-billion production contract. High-performing teams consistently complete projects on time...
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...How can Perceptions and Attributions Of Certain Roles in the Organization Be Controlled Within Organizational Change? Christine Freese 4020 Derby Drive, Cumming, GA 30040 cfreese@ariba.com 770-402-6287 MGMT591- Leadership and Organizational Behavior Joseph Walkowicz September 29, 2013 * Introduction a) The organization discussed in this research paper is Ariba, Inc (an SAP Company). Ariba is a software and information technology services company located in Sunnyvale, California. It was acquired by German software maker SAP AG in 2012. Ariba provides "Spend Management solutions" which help companies "analyze, understand, and manage their corporate spending to achieve cost savings and business process efficiency." Currently, 94 of the Fortune 100 and more than 200,000 other companies use Ariba's SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions to manage their spend and commerce activities. (Ariba, 2013) b) The role of the researcher is Senior Director of Global Commercial Operations for the Sales Organization. She manages the following teams; Requests for Proposals, Deal Pricing, Deal Bookings, Non Corporate Compensation, Commissions and overall Sales Operations. For the purposes of this paper her role will be related to the Account Executives (Sales people). Specifically in the area of recruiting and retention. c) Prior to the acquisition, Ariba was a 3,000 employee company with approximately 100 Account Executives worldwide. The main objective...
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...communication theories, movements, and practices. While some of these theories, movements, and practices have been widely adopted and promoted, the field of educational leadership still allows for significant amounts of autonomy and express for individual school leaders and administrative teams. While human relations have always existed, the study and application of these principles are fairly new; and it was not until the late 19th century that researchers began exploring how human relations, communication, and motivation affected workers (Razik & Swawnson, 2010). When looking specifically at human relations and its applications to educational administration, this field of study promotes the reduction of employee discrepancies with leadership/management and the promotion of improvement and resolution via problem solving (Razik & Swawnson, 2010). Within the educational leadership philosophy there are two unique perspectives: Democratic Educational Administration and the Human Relations Movement; each with its own unique advantages and disadvantages (Razik...
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