Inside Influence Report
What You See CAN Be What You Get
By Noah Goldstein, Ph.D.
There is no doubt that during the World Cup, millions of soccer-crazy workers around the globe took time out from work to watch the competition anywhere they could—at their computers, on their mobile phones, in employee break rooms, and even in their homes when they stayed at home “sick.” But is it possible that instead of actually harming overall productivity, the worldwide sporting event might have actually increased it? While this suggestion may seem apocryphal, some recent research suggests that the idea might not be as outlandish as it sounds.
There is no doubt that during the World Cup, millions of soccer-crazy workers around the globe took time out from work to watch the competition anywhere they could—at their computers, on their mobile phones, in employee break rooms, and even in their homes when they stayed at home “sick.” But is it possible that instead of actually harming overall productivity, the worldwide sporting event might have actually increased it? While this suggestion may seem apocryphal, some recent research suggests that the idea might not be as outlandish as it sounds.
Researchers Amanda Shantz and Gary Latham (2009) were interested in how subtle images might be able to influence employee motivation outside the employees’ conscious awareness. To test their hypotheses, they conducted an experiment with employees at a university fundraising call center. At the start of their shift, all the workers were given an information packet that contained relevant information, including recent faculty accolades and new centers and clubs on campus.
Whereas this information was printed on an otherwise blank white sheet of paper for some of the employees, for others the information was printed on paper that had a backdrop photograph of a woman accomplishing a sports goal (specifically, winning a race). When the researchers tallied up the fundraising numbers, those who received the information with the picture of the athlete accomplishing her goal were far more successful fundraisers than were those who received the information without any photograph. These successful employees collected 33% more money from prospective donors.
This research only looked at the short-term effects of viewing these inspiring images, so clearly more work needs to be done on the topic to better understand the long-term effects on motivation. However, the authors of the research point out how easily these findings could be adapted to most workplace settings: By placing achievement-oriented images around the workplace, including walls, screensavers, mouse pads, or even office equipment, workers may become more motivated to achieve their goals.
What this also suggests is that if you put up a picture of your favorite World Cup player scoring a goal, it may very well help you accomplish yours.
Source:
Shantz, A., & Latham, G. P. (2009). An exploratory field experiment of the effect of subconscious and conscious goals on employee performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 109, 9-17.
Shantz, A., & Latham, G. P. (2009). An exploratory field experiment of the effect of subconscious and conscious goals on employee performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 109, 9-17.
Discussion Questions
- As Dr. Goldstein states: This research only looked at the short-term effects of viewing these inspiring images, so clearly more work needs to be done on the topic to better understand the long-term effects on motivation. What do you think the long-term effects will be and why?
- How do you motivate yourself? How does it differ if your goal is short or long term?
- What have you found to be effective for motivating your co-workers or employees?
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http://dreamlearndobecome.blogspot.com This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
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