Competition is often a catalyst to productive work. Just as competition among companies spur them to design superior products and offer superior services in an effort to gain competitive advantage, individuals can respond in the same way by increasing the quality of their work and increasing their results in order to “win” whatever the competition […]
Read More… from How Competition Devolves Into Conflict Between Two People of Equal Status
The self-concept refers to how people think of themselves. I am a good person, I am a good listener, I am impatient — these are the kinds of ideas and thoughts that people have of themselves (i.e. self-perception) that contribute to their self-concept. People are complex human beings, however, and the self-concept may differ depending […]
Read More… from How Bringing Self to Work Inspires Ethical Behaviour
Conversations with new people are an important part of most people’s social and professional lives. After such conversations, people often seem to underestimate whether the other person in the conversation enjoyed the conversation and liked them. A series of five studies confirmed what the researchers call the ‘liking gap.’ In the first section of the […]
Read More… from Why Workplace Conversations Are More Successful than You Believe
It’s not surprising to see people in the workplace tired and depleted. The cognitive consequences of such fatigue — the negative impact on people’s ability to think clearly and make sound decisions — are well documented. This state of ‘ego depletion’, to use the psychologists’ term, is also known to impact ethical decisions. Psychologists argue […]
Read More… from Why Managers Forgive Ethical Lapses of Tired Employees
Some people have a greater desire for control than others. Specifically, they need to feel that they have control over their surrounding environment — that they are in control of producing the results they want to produce. Previous studies have shown that desire for control can guide certain consumer choices, such as a preference for […]
Read More… from Consumers Reject New Products To Stay In Control
Marketing luxury products requires connecting with consumers’ often emotion-driven desires, aspirations, and/or fantasies. However, many consumers cannot put aside their ‘rational’ mindset, and as a result feel guilty when purchasing purely hedonistic products. How can luxury companies appeal to the pleasure-seeker in their consumers while reducing the guilt from such pleasure-seeking? The answer, according to […]
What makes a good leader? The answer is often given in the context of the leader’s impact on followers — a natural response since the effectiveness of a leader is defined not by what he or she does, but by what he or she is capable of getting others to do. For this reason, theories […]
Read More… from Understanding Follower Attitudes Helps Decipher Leadership Success
The digital native is a myth, according to an extensive review of the research by by Paul Kirschner of Open University of the Netherlands and Pedro de Bruyckere of Artevelde University in Ghent, Belgium. Writing in Teaching and Teacher Education journal, Kirschner and Bruyckere argue that multiple academic studies in multiple countries show repeatedly that […]
Read More… from Digital Natives and Multi-tasking Proficiency Are Harmful Myths
Cell phones can be distracting when you’re trying to work. If the phone rings, you’ll stop what you’re doing to answer it. If you hear the ping of a new email, you’ll check the message. Academic research has confirmed that having and attending to a cell phone during the completion of a task reduces productivity. […]
Read More… from Brain Drain: How Cell Phones Distract Customer Attention
Psychological tools are proving to be very effective in helping people in the workplace gain the right frame of mind in challenging situations. Imagine that you are about to enter a room where you will make a presentation in front of a powerful client. Appearing diffident or unsure would be the worst impression you could […]
Read More… from How ‘Power Recall’ Is an Effective Technique When Easy
