When it comes to appraising performance, praising effort seems to deliver
Nick Bollettieri established his Tennis Academy in Florida in 1978. Since then the school has trained a long list of very successful players (Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles and the Williams sisters among others). As Matthew Syed accounts, walking around its courts, one gets a clear sense that it is "not the quality of the coaching that sets this place apart; it is the quality of its attitude".
What is different, according to Syed, is that in Bollettieri's school there is a deliberate, obsesive celebration of effort. "Talent" is never praised. As Bollettieri writes in his handbook, development is anchored on “the effort you expend to achieve your goals”. If you praise "talent", it is thought, players will plateau faster.
A study conducted in 1998 by Claudia M. Mueller and Carol Dweck of Columbia University looked at the impact praise for intelligence has on motivation and performance in children. Through six studies Mueller and Dweck demonstrated that "praise for intelligence had more negative consequences for students' achievement motivation than praise for effort." Interestingly they would find that "children praised for hard work believed intelligence to be subject to improvement" (those praised for intelligence took it to be a fixed trait).
As accounted by Syed, the experiment involved taking 400 eleven-year-olds through a series of simple puzzles. After receving their score in puzzle resolution, half of the students were praised on intelligence "you must be smart at this!"; the other half on effort "you must have worked really hard!".
After the first puzzle, students were given the choice of an easy or a hard second test. Only 40% of those praised for intelligence chose the hard test; 90% of those praised for effort did. Next, the students were given an impossible test: those praised for intelligence took their failures as "proof that they were no good in puzzles after all"; those praised for effort "persevered far longer, enjoyed it far more, and did not suffer any loss in confidence". A last puzzle of similar level to the first saw those praised for intelligence drop 20% in performance; those praised for effort delivered a surprising 30% improvement in performance.
The assimilation is very tempting: employees praised for hard work could be more prone to believe performance is subject to improvement; those praised for their 'talent' to believe it is a fixed trait (the earlier would have a much stronger drive to strive for improvement).
I have not found a similar study to prove or discredit the above, but it is a thought to ponder on, particularly as the time for the annual performance appraisals approaches. Effort without delivery doesn't rate these days. But delivery without praise of effort might hold a longer term unwanted consequence.
Much to praise
Nick Bollettieri established his Tennis Academy in Florida in 1978. Since then the school has trained a long list of very successful players (Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles and the Williams sisters among others). As Matthew Syed accounts, walking around its courts, one gets a clear sense that it is "not the quality of the coaching that sets this place apart; it is the quality of its attitude".
What is different, according to Syed, is that in Bollettieri's school there is a deliberate, obsesive celebration of effort. "Talent" is never praised. As Bollettieri writes in his handbook, development is anchored on “the effort you expend to achieve your goals”. If you praise "talent", it is thought, players will plateau faster.
A study conducted in 1998 by Claudia M. Mueller and Carol Dweck of Columbia University looked at the impact praise for intelligence has on motivation and performance in children. Through six studies Mueller and Dweck demonstrated that "praise for intelligence had more negative consequences for students' achievement motivation than praise for effort." Interestingly they would find that "children praised for hard work believed intelligence to be subject to improvement" (those praised for intelligence took it to be a fixed trait).
As accounted by Syed, the experiment involved taking 400 eleven-year-olds through a series of simple puzzles. After receving their score in puzzle resolution, half of the students were praised on intelligence "you must be smart at this!"; the other half on effort "you must have worked really hard!".
Breaking a sweat
After the first puzzle, students were given the choice of an easy or a hard second test. Only 40% of those praised for intelligence chose the hard test; 90% of those praised for effort did. Next, the students were given an impossible test: those praised for intelligence took their failures as "proof that they were no good in puzzles after all"; those praised for effort "persevered far longer, enjoyed it far more, and did not suffer any loss in confidence". A last puzzle of similar level to the first saw those praised for intelligence drop 20% in performance; those praised for effort delivered a surprising 30% improvement in performance.
The assimilation is very tempting: employees praised for hard work could be more prone to believe performance is subject to improvement; those praised for their 'talent' to believe it is a fixed trait (the earlier would have a much stronger drive to strive for improvement).
I have not found a similar study to prove or discredit the above, but it is a thought to ponder on, particularly as the time for the annual performance appraisals approaches. Effort without delivery doesn't rate these days. But delivery without praise of effort might hold a longer term unwanted consequence.
1 comment:
Interesting this hasn't been studied further. Talent is something individuals can find a burden: "if with my talent i still can't deliver, then there must be something really wrong with me and people will notice". Not surprised after it is praised, self confidence may fall.
Effort is action, and therefore something to be praised for in itself. Would the trap would be to praise face-time?
Post a Comment