The task for this week was looking, or create a case where the Pygmalion effect was present.
Before start discussing a case is better to have some basis of what is the Pygmalion effect. I have found an interesting video that explain in a broad basis the Pygmalion effect, this theory explains that the performance of someone is higher when the leader, boss, teacher, and some others put high expectations on them.
This effect is broadly seen nowadays specially when new people with high degrees of education or a lot of experience come into a company, their bosses and coworkers have high expectations on them, so they feel the pressure of those groups and tend to work harder in order to give the results desired.
Another case I might have found is in this article of the new york times where Italian farmers decided to engage civil disobedience and planted genetically modified seeds of corn, that might help them eradicate a plague that destroys their fields; the Pygmalion effect could be that the farmers will tend to see greater changes with the usage of this new seed, even if the results are not so evident, and blame the government for not allowing them to use this modified crop before.
On the other hand we can observe that the Pygmalion effect can bias our point of view, thinking that a discrete increase in the performance is the change we were waiting for. So those issues like the Pygmalion, and some other self-fulfilling prophecies can mislead the study of someone performance.
Bibliography:
- CRM Learning (2008) “Pygmalion Effect: Managing the Power of Expectations, 3rd Ed” available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wl_MZc1cTU&NR=1
- Takao Inamori, Farhad Analoui, "Beyond Pygmalion effect: the role of managerial perception", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 29 Iss: 4, pp.306 – 321.
- Rosenthal, E. (2010, August 23) “In the fields of italy, a conflict over corn”. The new york times, Online edition avaliable at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/world/europe/24modify.html?_r=1&ref=world
Since the pygmalion effect is a causal process, its perspective provide us with a tool for our psychological intelligence. That is the fact that thinking about performance can actually result in a better outcome. With that in mind our disposition toward things or people is a lever for our interaction with the thing or person and a bigger opportunity for the intended success. Based on the topic we just covered, and taking it into practical terms I think we all should think the teacher is going to give us high grades, and she will do so.
ReplyDeleteWatching the video and the comments related with it in your task, is really remarcable the importance of preparate the people to give all they can and motivating them "pushing" to show more and better results in their performance in front of a situation. I can tell that the video reflects the explanation gave it in class: "Pygmalion effect is a phenomenon in which the greater expectation placed upon people, the better they perform."
ReplyDeleteI know that phygmalion effect could it be good, but we also must be aware of this bias point of view as you said, because we can lose the perspective of the workers by creating a thought of fullfilling prophecyes with little accomplish by our workers of colegues.
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