Confidence, persistence and ingenuity have long been hailed as crucial traits for professional success. However, new research from Rutgers University suggests that traits like maintaining the status quo may also play an essential role within teams. The study, published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, indicates that workplace envy can lead to the ostracism of top performers, consequently affecting overall team productivity.
Cong Liu, an associate professor in organizational psychology at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, and her colleagues explored this paradoxical dynamic in depth.
“In organizations, there are good soldiers who help facilitate workplace efficiency and effectiveness and bad apples who hinder productivity and well-being,” the study notes. “Over the years, there has been mounting evidence that this distinction between good and bad behaviors … might not be as stark as we think.”
The study highlights how workplace ostracism can obscure the line between constructive and detrimental behaviors. When top performers are excluded by their peers, their motivation can switch from driving success to undermining it, potentially turning them into what Liu calls “bad apples.” This exclusion, Liu said, frequently results in frustration, disengagement and even intentional underperformance.
To delve into this issue, the researchers surveyed 630 workers from 131 workplace teams across various industries in China, including health care, finance, real estate and manufacturing. The participants worked in teams of three or more, with more than two-thirds being women, and most having approximately six years of job experience. Although the study took place in China, its findings are globally relevant, especially in team-centric work environments like those in the United States.
“If proactive employees are ostracized by their coworkers, organizations will bear a heavy toll,” Liu said in a news release.
The researchers administered two surveys a month apart.
In the first, employees assessed perceived levels of proactivity, envy, coworker ostracism, negative emotions, and job satisfaction.
The second survey asked employees to evaluate their own levels of “production deviance,” an indicator of intentional underperformance.
Through statistical modeling, the study found that teams with higher levels of envy were more likely to exclude proactive members. Consequently, those excluded members displayed higher rates of production deviance.
Although the study did not quantify the exact productivity losses, Liu pointed to previous research showing that poorly managed workplace dynamics can significantly impact output.
In today’s fast-paced environment, where teamwork and collaboration are paramount, even minor disruptions can have substantial repercussions.
Addressing the roots of team-based ostracism and potential productivity declines remains a challenging task. Human emotions like jealousy and envy, along with “upward comparison” — feelings of inadequacy experienced by those working alongside more productive colleagues — can be amplified in corporate settings where performance metrics are transparent and competition is encouraged.
“Take sales,” Liu added. “If one team member beats the sales quota, the entire team benefits but underperforming colleagues might still be viewed by management as less effective.”
This perception can lead team members to believe that operating as a “middle performer” is the safest strategy.
Liu offered strategies that employers can adopt to counteract these corrosive dynamics. The first step is recognizing that each employee should be evaluated based on their own merits rather than being compared to the top performers.
“Managers should always encourage proactive behaviors but should also ensure that performance evaluations are based on required outputs, rather than comparing employees to top performers,” added Liu. “It’s essential to treat each team member as an individual, valuing their unique contributions rather than viewing them through the lens of their peers.”
Liu emphasized that creating an inclusive and supportive work environment isn’t just effective management — it’s a strategic advantage.
“In today’s workplace, where collaboration and innovation drive success, creating an inclusive and supportive environment isn’t just effective management – it’s a strategic advantage for any business,” concluded Liu.
The findings of this study underscore the importance of understanding and mitigating the complex emotional dynamics within workplace teams to foster a more productive and harmonious environment.