Am I a happy worker?!?

I had a thought about myself especially since these past two weeks were grueling for me. Because I was forced to be even more productive with looming deadlines and constraints within projects, I probably was a little more productive than usual. But, with that focus, I neglected (as many students and people do during “crunch time”) my sleep, health, and eating – neglecting these things was pretty counter-intuitive to my productivity. I didn’t rest, went two nights without sleep, and that of course affected my work. I had to take some time (for sleep!) but for some tasks, I could maintain the pace. For other tasks that were not so “routine” and required more creative analysis, I needed lots of breaks.

THEREFORE, I AM AN EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED WORKER…

at least based on these past two weeks…

or Am I?

This experience reminded me that stress and deadlines really affected the way I approached the task and there’s no way to even attempt to be happy if you’re religiously trying to get things done. In the end, focusing on productivity in order to finish can result in happiness, even within group work. The amount of work really  dictates the mood that one is in, even if one’s disposition can be happy or unhappy. Perhaps, I can log my “happiness” levels during and after different work conditions. I just know that I am happy after finishing my projects! YAY!

Happiness and Productivity in the East

DISCLAIMER: No generalizations intended, non-scientific hypotheses generated from some online articles.

Most people are familiar with the popular eastern work ethic – maintain a high level of work output while requiring loyalty that calls for sacrifices all for the sake of the company’s well being. Other characteristics of this work ethic include eastern employee counterparts working longer hours, making sacrifices that those in the west would not tolerate, and are even characterized by the idea of the Japanese salary man, who spends a majority of his day in the office and rarely sees his family.

These ideals are indeed different from the west. Rarely does anyone criticize how productive eastern employees are, however, not once have people thought about the effects their emotional state has on their productivity.

In Japan and China there have been recent developments that can give us an inkling into the emotions of workers at work that suggest not only is morale low, but this low morale is having a detrimental effect on productivity as well.

Foxconn, producer of iPhones and Playstation 3s, has recently been in the news for having 11 of their employees commit suicide on their Shenzhen China campus within the last three months. One Foxconn employee has said

Indeed this speaks of low morale, but as a result of this morale, production has not only fallen behind, some of the China Foxconn factories will be shutting down, including the Shenzhen China campus. Another instance that speaks of low morale and productivity is focused on a Japanese train company which has installed face scanners to ensure their employees are smiling in the work place. This implies that not only is morale low, there has obviously been enough customer complaints (hence low productivity) to warrant a need for that software.

From this information, it is obvious that emotions do play a part in our work ethics and can ultimately transcend culture boundaries.

So what?

“Happiness produces productivity” – that just seems like logical, widely accepted, knowledge – right? Even if the idea ever proved to be false in the future, one may ask “what’s the harm in motivating people to be happy?”Although these are perfectly (publicly) acceptable ideals, there are some ideas, even when they sound good that can have an unforeseen negative impact (the ‘all meat diet’ anyone?). The ‘happy workers are more productive workers’ myth is one such idea that can have detrimental impact on millions.

Consider how many individuals depend on self help/management books to learn how to improve themselves. That’s a lot of people. Now consider the question – ‘what if none of those ideas worked?’ If that were true, there would be millions of people practicing ideals that may never deliver the desired results and may actually cause the opposite – making them worse off.

An NPR interview with Financial Times columnist, Lucy Kellaway suggests practicing the idea  ‘happiness produces productivity’ may actually lower your productivity and that ‘stress’ may be a better motivator. Ms. Kellaway performed a self study where she kept a journal recording how she felt and how productive she actually was each day. She found that when she was in a negative mood, she was more productive because she wasn’t in the mood to waste time chatting to people, making phone calls, or looking up random things on the internet. Considering the results of Ms. Kellaway’s study, the myth may actually make employees less productive. Now Imagine how many influential managers, after reading material that promotes the myth, force their employees to incorporate the myth at work – that’s 100s of millions of individuals practicing something that may make them worse at their profession.

The negative impact this myth can have on the future could prove to be enormous. Think about how many professions we place our trust and health in (taxi drivers, medical record clerks, etc) and if those individuals are too busy chatting or perusing the internet to do their job, that would spell trouble for the public.

What about productivity?

I had a thought. Are people happy to work? Happy at work? Or is it flipped: People work to be happy?

This flip almost shakes the entire belief around, confusing me but intriguingly giving me a different part of the picture to focus on. Have you ever seen those images, those cognitive illusions where you can see both a vase and the silhouette of a two faces. Depending on what you focus on: if you direct your attention to the black, you might see the vase more clearly; however if you focus on the white surrounding the black vase, the faces become easier to see! Well, throughout this process of exploring the happy-productive relationship, I have felt that it is much like the cognitive illusion from this image! What are we focusing on exactly?

Depending on what we look at it, the perspective changes but we know that the other image is still there! This is just a point to consider when we are unpacking this myth. By bringing more research and developing better conceptualizations of productivity, especially on ideas of intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, we can better understand the significance of this perspective.

Who’s driving?

Amongst management, a method to increase profits and maintain a loyal workforce has long been sought after like the Holy Grail. Increasing profits is dependent on the efforts of loyal workers who will work diligently without causing trouble. Thus, managerial scholars created the ‘happy worker is more productive’ ideal to accomplish these goals. But who is the current driving force behind this idea? The same individuals responsible for developing it – managerial/process efficiency/ human resource scholars, economists, businessmen, and the media (which are owned by businessmen).

There are several world renown managerial/self-help authors that have their own version of the ‘happy worker is more productive’ myth that proclaim methods that will not only make their readers happier, but also more productive. To these authors, “happiness” is interchangeable with ‘selffulfillment.’ Dan Pink, author of several career and managerial books (Johnny Bunko, Drive, etc), preaches to individuals that when they attain self fulfillment (finding what they enjoy), they will produce better results personally and at work. While preaching to managers, when they create a positive work environment for employees, they yield higher productivity.

Other business based organizations such as the Gallup Management Journal (GMJ), which not only produces articles and books on their research into productivity, but also a individualized strengths test, suggests that when employees and managers understand each other’s strengths,only then can they effectively communicate and develop the ideal positive workspace to be highly productive. Although Dan Pink and GMJ have different methods, they tell a similar story – make workers happy and they will be more productive.

However, if one has the answer to achieve these goals, wouldn’t they hoard it for themselves? Besides solving an age old curiosity, other prominent motivations for sharing this idea are fame for being the first to have a method that actually works, and fortune gained from selling it. For proof simply Google how much the self-help book industry is worth or how much Sony pays efficiency experts per consultancy. And if that doesn’t convince you, ask a business man how much they’d pay for the Holy Grail!

BETTER WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT

Verdict: still up for debate and discussion due to mixed findings and ambiguity.

The belief that happy workers are more productive workers exaggerates a grain of truth (happiness is linked to productivity). More importantly, it demonstrates how ambiguity proposes diverse ideas for both happiness and productivity.

A better way to think about the belief is to:

1. acknowledge the inherent ambiguity of the two concepts.
2. avoid over-generalizing the concepts and using it as the premise for ways to be more productive.
3. recognize that the findings suggest that there is a relationship between positive emotions and increased productivity. However, based on my research, findings are mixed and inconsistent from a lack of unified conceptualization of both happiness and productivity.
4. remember happiness (however defined) does not directly CAUSE productivity.

What the research says…

Positive emotions can benefit overall productivity because it “broadens and builds skills and social bonds” (Frederickson 1998, 2001, quoted in Zelensky et al, 2009). However, researchers are unsure whether positive emotions truly yield interpersonal benefits. Both positive and negative emotions play a role in productivity because each type of emotion creates a “cognitive” bias of global meaning (positive) or being detail-oriented (negative). On the other hand, job satisfaction, the most common conceptualization of happiness, yields a weaker relationship.

The main point is: both emotions are helpful and adaptive in different situations.

A better way to think about the happy-productive worker belief is: both emotions can help people to become adaptive when handling tasks. Yet, positive emotions is more likely to promote social behaviors “improving productivity in social or collaborative work contexts” (Zelensky et al, 2008, p. 522)

Researchers continue to examine how different types (conceptualizations) of happiness play a role in productivity. Overall, happiness does not ensure/guarantee productivity! As Zelensky et al (2008) note, “particular sets of emotions, motivations, personalities, tasks, etc will combine in very complex ways to predict performance.” (p. 523). Researchers agree that there are hidden variables that facilitate productivity. Thus, further research on these hidden variables is needed to clarify the misconceptions of the happy-productive worker belief, which has become common sense to the public.

Zelenski, J. M., Murphy, S. A., & Jenkins, D. A. (2008). The happy-productive worker thesis revisited. Journal of Happiness Studies. 9(4), 521-537.

Most important misunderstanding!

The most important misunderstanding of the belief is the idea that happiness directly causes productivity. Yes, I covered this in the mind traps, but here’s a reminder! Correlation doesn’t mean causation!

What are the implications of believing that happiness causes productivity?

Imagine you are clinically depressed. Would you want your employer to make judgments on how “happy” you are based on your condition? Instead of being evaluated on productivity, the generalization of happiness as a sign of a good worker damper the individual’s potentiality. You wouldn’t want to be bracketed into the group of unproductive workers before even working! Granted that there are disability laws that prevent discrimination of this sort, the pressure to be happy can still affect the employee’s perception about handling certain tasks and instructions. Simply, you wouldn’t want to be too obsessed or preoccupied with being happy at work that would lead to neglecting your responsibilities.

If employers focus on happiness as the cause of productivity, even those not clinically depressed may end up being influenced by the belief. [see self-fulfillfing prophecy] If employers enforce the idea, people start believing it and it gets spread like wildfire! People can generate connotations because happiness is so ambiguous, how can we make any concrete judgments?

On a less extreme level, imagine that you had a bad morning. If your employer stresses the importance of being happy at work, maybe he or she might not give you enough space to accept the emotions, settle in your work area and move on. Even if you focus on your work, a meddling boss can lead to more frustration. [Think Office Space, the Office, Dilbert, etc. :)]

Emphasis on productivity is dominant in American culture. If you search “productivity in organizations”, you will get more than 1,000 books. This doesn’t include the self-help books within this topic and countless other topics relevant to productivity. While employers can be mindful of how emotions and work conditions affect an employee’s performance, there needs to be a balance between quality of work-life and factors that influence employee well-being. The implications from believing that happiness causes productivity can hinder an employee’s skills repertoire needed for the specific job.

Dan Pink & Motivation, illustrated video!

Here is an illustrated video that features and is inspired by Dan Pink’s speech about autonomy and purpose. The same concepts about autonomy that leads to higher productivity are spoken here; however, the illustrations really highlight the points in a vivid way. If you enjoy the way that the speech was portrayed via motion graphics, RSA.org have various other videos (RSAanimate) here: http://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/.

MIND TRAPS!

Why do people believe that happy workers are productive workers? Well, when forming a belief, people are prone to making reasoning mistakes. There are a variety of reasoning errors (cognitive, social, motivational, etc) where we distort information, misapply effective strategies for knowing and the list goes on. I will cover three reasoning errors that contribute to this belief.

Inferring Causation from Correlation

Definition: If A and B are correlated, then there is a causal relationship between A & B. Either A directly causes B, or B directly causes A.

Just because there is a mutual relationship between two variables, does not mean that one causes the other. There might be a third variable or other factors not realized or explored.

Example: There is a correlation between physical abuse in childhood and adult violence. However, it does not mean that physical abuse experienced during childhood directly causes violent behaviors in adulthood. Rather, there may be other factors that affect the development of violent behaviors. For instance, missing variables may include a genetic tendency toward aggressiveness inherited from the abusive parent (Lilienfeld, 2010 p.13-14).

Relevance to belief: Studies have shown that there is a correlation between positive affect (feelings that reflect pleasure/engagement) and productivity (defined as job performance-meeting goals at work) (Zelensky, 2009). This doesn’t mean that happiness causes productivity. There could be other factors: co-worker interaction, difficulty of the task, good leadership and more. The mood doesn’t directly cause the individual to perform well. It may just be a factor among many that contributes to the success.

Confirmation bias

Definition: the tendency to select information that validates one’s beliefs. This may lead to biased questions to generate positive responses and elicit information consistent with one’s thinking. Simultaneously, one ignores or undervalues the relevancy of contradicting information, being more likely to look for information that confirms their beliefs.

Example: If a person believes that their childhood was positive, they are more likely to recall happy moments than negative ones. Recalling happy memories is relevant to this belief making it easier to seek confirmation, whereas negative childhood memories become irrelevant to the positive childhood position. Thus, recalling negative moments forces a person to exert more effort, which can make the thinking process feel unnatural.

Relevance to belief: When believing happy workers are better workers, one might rely too much on gathering confirming cases, where data supports the belief that a happy worker is a better performer. At the same time, one might neglect or deny cases that disconfirms it. Most importantly, one ignores cases where an unhappy worker is productive and cases where a happy worker is un-productive.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Definition: the tendency to cause one’s anticipations/expectations by behaving in ways that fulfills the expectation. This occurs when one does not utilize all available information or recognize that there is missing information.

Example: A person might expect another to be hostile and acts in ways that provoke the other individual to respond hostilely.

Relevance to belief: If an employer instills the idea that happy workers are more productive workers, an employee might anticipate happiness as a sign of productivity, and inadvertently make more effort to be happy at work. The employee associates productivity with the efforts to be happy so he or she might behave in ways that are more productive. Ultimately the prophecy of being happy and productive will be fulfilled from the mere decision of acting upon the devoted belief. At the same time, because of these expectations and mind-frame, the employee can become intolerant towards unhappy workers, avoiding them which prevents him or her from seeing if any unhappy worker performs well.

Fisher, C. D. (2003). Why do lay people believe that satisfaction and performance are correlated?: Possible sources of a commonsense theory. Journal of organizational behavior. 24(6), 753-777.

Gilovich, T. (1991). How We Know What Isn’t So: the Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life. New York, N.Y.: The Free Press.

Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Ruscio, J., & Beyerstein, B. L. (2010) 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

Online debate

Which side are you on? Do you agree that happy workers are more productive? Or do you disagree with the statement?

Another example of how we know people believe in the happy-productive worker hypothesis is through online discussion. Here is an online debate on the topic, “happy people are productive people”. Instead of worker,”people” is used, which is a broader generalization. The happiness-productive link has been extensively studied in the work environment, but there are other areas where the belief is explored (student performance, leadership, etc) In this discussion, however, it seems that conception of a happy worker is implied within the discussion.

What I find interesting is that 86% (1602 votes) of people in this discussion believe it to be true! Only 14% (262 votes) of people disagree! This is additional evidence that people (at least in this debate) believe that the statement, “happy workers are more productive workers” is true.

Check out the “disagree” articles – which provide some great competing explanations for the happy-productive relationship. Some of the articles on agreement seem to agree on defining increased productivity as a path towards happiness, rather than making an argument that happiness causes productivity. As Fisher (2003) notes, the general public might have “looser” and “informal” definitions of happiness and productivity, which can inadvertently lead to one perceiving a stronger relationship between the two (p. 759).

Fisher, C. D. (2003). Why do lay people believe that satisfaction and performance are correlated?: Possible sources of a commonsense theory. Journal of organizational behavior. 24(6), 753-777.