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The Power of Belief: Pygmalion vs. Golem
In the workplace, a leader’s perception of their team becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. This phenomenon, the Pygmalion effect (or Rosenthal effect), demonstrates that when a leader holds positive beliefs about their Team Members’ abilities, they perform at a higher level. Conversely, the Golem effect illustrates how a leader’s low expectations, when a leader underestimates Team Members, creates an environment where Team Members feel undervalued, unmotivated, and, ultimately, underperform.
Understanding how these dynamics operate is crucial for any leader wanting to create a High Performing Work Team.
Positive assumptions by Team Leaders drive the Pygmalion effect:
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: When leaders have high expectations, they treat Team Members in ways that encourage success: providing more opportunities, offering constructive feedback, and demonstrating confidence in their abilities. This positive reinforcement empowers Team Members to believe in themselves and work to meet those expectations.
- Motivation and Engagement: Positive expectations boost morale, increase motivation, and foster a sense of belonging. When Team Members feel valued and supported, they are more engaged in their work and committed to achieving shared goals.
- Feedback and Development: Leaders with high expectations provide regular feedback, coaching, and development opportunities. This investment in growth helps Team Members improve their skills, gain confidence, and become members of a High Performing Work Team.
These negative assumptions by Team Leaders drive the Golem effect:
When a leader has low expectations for a Team Member, they treat that person in ways that hinder their success when the leader
- Gives Them Less Challenging Tasks: Team Members are given mundane or easy tasks, preventing them from developing new skills and demonstrating their potential.
- Reduces Support: Team Leaders invest less time in mentoring, coaching, or providing feedback to those they have low expectations for.
- Increases Criticism: Mistakes are highlighted more, while successes are downplayed or ignored, eroding the employee’s confidence.
This leads the Team Member to internalize those low expectations, resulting in decreased motivation, confidence, and ultimately, poorer performance, making the leader’s initial low expectations a self-fulfilling prophecy,
How to Create the Pygmalion Effect and Avoid the Golem Effect
Cultivating a positive and productive team environment requires conscious effort and self-awareness on the part of the Team Leader by:
- Being Self-Awareness: Team Leaders must critically examine their own biases and assumptions about Team Members. And then reflect on how these beliefs are influencing their behavior and interactions with their Team Members.
- Creating Psychological Safety: Where Team Members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, aspirations and feel empowered to take calculated risks and learn from mistakes.
- Focusing on Strengths: Identifying and leveraging individual Team Member’s strengths. Providing opportunities for Team Members to utilize their talents boosts confidence and performance.
- Having a Growth Mindset: Cultivate a growth-oriented environment that values learning and development. Encourage Team Members to embrace challenges and provide support for skill development.
- Providing Equitable Treatment: Treat all Team Members with respect and fairness, regardless of background or perceived abilities.
- Setting Clear Expectations: Clearly communicating performance expectations and providing regular, constructive feedback.
By understanding the power of the Pygmalion and Golem effects, and by actively working to create a positive and supportive environment, leaders unlock the full potential of their teams and drive exceptional results. The key lies in recognizing that a leader’s beliefs about their team becomes the Team’s reality.
I could be wrong…but I’m not.