Do you play to win - or to not loose?ByHeidi Grant Halvorson and E. Tory Higgins Harvard Business ReviewMARCH 2013

T.R.VISHAL (2T3-37)

Outline• Introduction• Objective• Main Theme• Authors View• Learnings• Conclusion

Introduction•In what kinds of situations are you most effective? What factors strengthen or undermine your motivation? (Answers may vary)

•One size-fits-all principles don’t work…personality matters!

•Personality can be identified by Myers-Briggs Type Indicator but the problem with this and many other assessment tools is that they actually don’t predict performance.

•Fortunately there is a way of grouping people which DOES predict personality attributes on the basis of performance:

•"promotion" focus or "prevention" focus.Promotion focus

Prevention focus

"promotion" focus or "prevention" focus

Promotion-focused people Prevention-focused people

• Play to win• Brainstorm• Work quickly• Are open to new opportunities• Feel depressed when things go wrong• Are optimists• Seek positive feedback and lose steam

without it.• Plan only for the best case scenarios

• Play to not lose• Work slowly and deliberately • Tend to be accurate• Prepared for the worst• Are stressed by short deadlines• Stick to tried-and-true ways of doing things• Are uncomfortable with praise and optimism• feel worried or anxious when things go

wrong

Objective•To know what really motivates people

•To create motivational fit among people in order to reach their full potential.

•Motivational fit enhances and sustains both the eagerness of the promotion-minded and the vigilance of the prevention-minded, making work seem more valuable and thus boosting both performance and enjoyment.

Focus

PROMOTION FOCUSED PREVENTION FOCUSED

CopywritersInventors

ConsultantsMusician

DYNAMIC INDUSTRIES

AdministratorsBookkeepersAccountantsTechnicians

STABLE INDUSTRIES

“artistic and investigative” careers

“conventional and realistic” work

Main Theme•Although everyone is concerned at various times with both types, most of us have a dominant motivational focus.

•Once you know your focus, you can choose role models, frame goals, seek or give feedback and provide incentives to strengthen your motivation or your team’s.

•Promotion focused are engaged by inspirational role models, the prevention focused by cautionary tales.

•Framing the goal: sometimes minor tweaks in how you think about a goal or the language you use to describe can make a difference.

•Seek or giving feedback: promotion minded, can look for people who will give you positive inspirational message you need. And prevention minded people should routinely ask colleagues for constructive feedback.

When Personalities Don’t Match (By Andrew Kakabadse and Nada k. Kakabadse)

PROMOTION BOSS PROMOTION EMPLOYEE PROMOTION BOSS PREVENTION BOSS

+ + + +PREVENTION EMPLOYEE PREVENTION EMPLOYEE PREVENTION BOSS PROMOTION EMPLOYEE

= = = =UNDERPERFORMANCE TENSION POWER STRUGGLE POWER PLAY

BOSS MAY OVERLOOK &UNDERUTILIZE EMPLOYEES STRENGTHS AND TAIL TO ENCOURAGE HIM WITH DEFINED TASKS & CLEAR OBJECTIVES

WHEN BOTH INDIVIDUALS ARE SUBORDINATE, THEIR CONTRASTING APPROACHES LEAD TO TENSION

BOSS WILL EMPHASIZE SUCCESS UNDERMINING EMPLOYEE WHILE EMPLOYEE HEAPS ON CRITICISM,OFTEN BEHIND BOSS’S BACK

BOSS MAY FEEL THREATENED BY EMPLOYEE AND SEEK TO LIMIT HIS ACTIVITY AND OPPORTUNITIES AS RESULT. EMPLOYEE MAY EVENTUALLY LEAVE

Authors View•Promotion focus and Prevention Focus are the two legitimate ways of looking at the same goal.

•Promotion focused and Prevention focused people are crucial for every organization’s success, despite the potential for infighting and poor communication.

•Business need to excel at innovation and at maintaining what works, at speed and at accuracy.

•The key is to understand and embrace ones personality types and those of their colleagues, and to bring out the best in each of them.

•Promotion – prevention Hybrids – some people seem to wear both hats equally often, but no one can wear both hats at the same time.

Learnings•When motivational strategies we use don’t align with our dominant focus, we are less likely to achieve our goals.

•A manager must adapt his style to suite each employee’s focus.

•As a colleague or a boss one should think about whether the motivational stories he shares with others are motivational for them.

•A manager should always give honest feedback, but can adjust their emphasis to maximize motivation.

Conclusion One way of grouping people into types is based on an attribute that does predict performance: "promotion" focus or "prevention" focus. The main objective is to know what really motivates people as an individual, create motivational fit among people in order to reach their full potential. Promotion focus and Prevention Focus are the two legitimate ways of looking at the same goal.

Questions

Thank You!