Praising an erring employee may only make things worse
The Globe and Mail reported this weekend on an interesting study by Niro Sivanathan conducted at Northwestern’s School of Management.
It might seem obvious that when an employee is in error giving them a pat on the back would be the best way to boost their self-esteem and get them back on track. The study showed though that if done the wrong way, it might just reinforce the error.
The problem comes from “escalation of commitment” or the tendency to throw good money after bad. People don’t like to admit mistakes - instead we double down on a flawed strategy in hopes that it will eventually pay off.
Somewhat counter-intuitively if we praise a person for a skill relevant to their mistake - for example they hire an employee who does not work out and you praise them for their decision making ability - then this praise can backfire as it reminds people that they have put their reputation as a decision maker on the line. They harden their position and try to make this employee work out.
This does not mean that praise is a bad thing. If the employee is given a generic pat on the back with no mention of the relevant skills then it does seem to give an ego boost that makes them feel more secure and able to admit a mistake.
What should you do?
If someone makes a bad mistake, don’t compliment them on a related skill - instead redirect your praise to another area. Or at the very least, keep your praise vague.
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2 comments
Sounds like a very delicate situtation when handling an erring employee. It’s always the smallest bit of advice that makes the biggest difference, that especially rings true when handling mistakes and mishaps. For any of your readers who love to find more advice and approaches in their businesses, I have a great suggestion. I actually work with Microsoft, and right now I’m really excited to spread the word about the “Vision to Venture” tour they’re having between April and May, which will consist of five live events. Featured speaker, John Jantsch is a marketing and digital technology coach, award-winning social media publisher, and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide, as well as many other speakers offering industry tips. The tour is fully geared towards entrepreneurs, business owners/ developers and anyone looking to move up on the ladder. You can see more and register at http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/v2v/ so let me know what you think! And if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them !
Vague Praise = great idea.
I do this all the time. I say things like: “Someone in this office is pretty good at something” or “I applaud the way a certain situation has been handled by one of you”.
It really keeps them guess and wondering who did what well. They continue to do well what they already do well, but they step it up, thinking that maybe someone else has done something better than just well.
Sorry. I don’t mean to be glib about a great piece of advice. It truly is.
Warning! Ego Boost Ahead!
I think someone at executivehacks.com might deserve a pat on the back with no mention of relevant skills!
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