Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
hbr.org
Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
1–10 of 49 posts
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#2Interesting experiment which suffers from the problem that all psychology experiments have: based upon observations of college students. I've been around the block a few times and I definitely don't now perceive respectful people as weak.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#3Interesting experiment which suffers from the problem that all psychology experiments have: based upon observations of college students. I've been around the block a few times and I definitely don't now perceive respectful people as weak.
Our research, which included lab studies and responses from hundreds of corporate decision makers and employees...
That doesn't seem to be the case to me.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#4I've had 3 kinds of bosses:
1. Hardass who pushes everyone to the limit, tends to micro-manage, frequently overrules consensus with his own views.
2. Total pushover who agrees with everything. Constantly seeks consensus and rule by democracy, never pushes anyone and just tries to be everyone's friend.
3. Somewhere in between the two above. Seeks consensus and lets people make mistakes in order to help them learn. Sometimes overrules people in order to make sure things don't get too far off track. Doesn't try to be people's friend, but is sensitive to people's needs and gives a reasonable amount of leeway.
The somewhat counter-intuitive thing is that #2 is by far and away the worst kind of boss to have. It's fun for about a month, and then everything falls apart. The teams never seems to get anything done. All the best people eventually leave because there is never any consequence to incompetence and so tons of people just default to being lazy (think: working in government.)
Although #1 is tough and often unpleasant, he tends to get things done (albeit with higher turnover and more grumbling) and most often at least ensures that the company succeeds (think guys like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, who are notorious for being insanely demanding and insensitive.)
Lastly, it's insanely hard to hit the right balance between #1 and #2. Really it's damn near impossible and requires some kind of magic innate talent to be able to inspire and push people to work hard without crushing their spirits.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#5I suspect the etiology is quite simple - if somebody is behaving like an ass and getting away with it, it must be because they are powerful, otherwise somebody else would stop them. And so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#6This does not take into account the company they work for. Bosses at a company that pay 40% more than average have more options that bosses that work at companies that pay 10% less than average.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#7Interesting experiment which suffers from the problem that all psychology experiments have: based upon observations of college students. I've been around the block a few times and I definitely don't now perceive respectful people as weak.
Our research, which included lab studies and responses from hundreds of corporate decision makers and employees... That doesn't seem to be the case to me.
FTA: "The same bias was exhibited by students in a laboratory setting."
The GP was talking specifically about the experiment design. Surveys are also notoriously unreliable as sources of meaningful data. Not that either point discounts the value of the research, of course.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#8I suspect the etiology is quite simple - if somebody is behaving like an ass and getting away with it, it must be because they are powerful, otherwise somebody else would stop them. And so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Not to mention that if that person is powerful, I need to ally myself with them - no matter how much I dislike them.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#9I suspect the etiology is quite simple - if somebody is behaving like an ass and getting away with it, it must be because they are powerful, otherwise somebody else would stop them. And so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You put it better than the article, which was on the fluffy side.
Re: Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind
#10Is the question really whether someone is fair or unfair, or is it simply being the type that can cut thru the crap and be blunt... don't try to sugar coat, don't try to let people down softly, just tell it like it is in as few words as possible?
To me that's the fairest supervisor you could possibly have. I had a supervisor like that once... he had a reputation for being a hardass, but everyone loved him.