The Impact Of Guilt On Employee Motivation And Performance
I did not perform as well as I should have at the beginning of several internships. I had a hard time learning quickly and performing tasks perfectly. This led to multiple evaluations. Sometimes I felt ashamed, other times I felt guilty. I was surprised to find that these feelings, though similar and distinct, led me to completely different outcomes. Researchers have extensively examined the relationship between guilt and humiliation and employee performance and motivation.
In the workplace, guilt can motivate employees and improve their performance. It is a powerful feeling that makes people want to learn from past mistakes and avoid them in the future. As opposed to shame or humiliation, guilt breaks the link between failures and lack of competence or valuelessness. It instead promotes confidence by motivating employees to achieve better performance and higher goals. Flynn und Schaumberg (2012) concluded that people with high levels of guilt are often more motivated to succeed than those who have lower levels of guilt. The fact that they are more personable and more successful also results in better feedback, like more opportunities or more help. From this, it is safe to infer that performance failures can be eased through feelings of guilt as it increases employee motivation and performance.Management should foster an environment that incorporates guilt and stray away from shaming as one yields significantly better results. Shaming employees has negative effects on their psychological outlook. While guilt can increase an employee’s motivation, it also decreases productivity and performance. The result is that workers perform at a lower level and are less productive. A study shows that shaming can lead people to blame the character of an individual rather than their mistake. These thoughts can make an individual feel inadequate and helpless. As a result, they may choose to detach from difficult tasks instead of taking extra measures to overcome obstacles. The stress of being shamed can cause people to abandon tasks they have performed incorrectly.
In a study, the correlation between shame-induced motivation and sales was clearly demonstrated. In two samples, Dutch salesmen show a clear correlation between shame levels and reduced sales. Researchers said that disengagement was a way to protect yourself as an alternative to fixing or repairing mistakes. It is clear that the correlation between a feeling of shame and employee productivity and motivation is strong. Even though evoking guilt is better than shame for employees, it’s difficult to instill guilt without causing shame. It is up to the individual whether they feel shame or guilt. Such perceptions are based on how much autonomy an individual has in their job. High autonomy jobs give individuals the freedom to set their own schedules, determine the procedures they will use at work, and be independent. Low autonomy positions are more structured with a high level of supervision.
Theoretically an increased level of autonomy increases guilt and shame without increasing the former. In my own experience, I found it difficult to be micromanaged while I was an intern because I felt limited and that my supervisors were constantly doubting me. Being micromanaged led me to make many mistakes due to my lack of feeling in control. Because of my shame, I believed that I could not do well at my internship and often resigned early. Instead, I thrived when places provided a high degree of autonomy, including freedom, trust, as well as responsibilities at my discretion. I was able to see my failures in environments with high levels of autonomy as an opportunity to improve and learn. Many factors influence motivation and performance. Some factors are negative, while others are positive. Shame causes feelings of inferiority and discourages people from correcting their errors.
As a result, guilt is a powerful motivator and enhances performance. Employees are motivated to achieve higher standards and avoid disappointments in the future. In many studies, there is a strong correlation with increased performance and motivation when a person has heightened guilt. Researchers have found that high levels of autonomy can help to optimize guilt. Allowing employees to be free in their performance allowed for more guilt and enhanced performance.
To produce better outcomes, we must consider the negative effects of shame and the force of guilt to motivate corrective actions in response to past failures.
