Organizations face a dilemma in their hunt for talent. They pursue the proverbial “best and brightest” who can outsell, outthink, and outproduce their peers. So they spend sizable resources to attract and retain high performers who stand out. But often these organizations also want teams that function in solidarity. So they place their prized recruits in collaborative groups and tell them to fit in.
When One Person’s High Performance Creates Resentment in Your Team
How managers can make everyone feel valued.
April 21, 2017
Summary.
Organizations face a dilemma in their hunt for talent. They fight to attract and retain high performers who stand out, but then place these prized recruits in collaborative groups and tell them to fit in. Many managers miss or underestimate the potential harm this can do. Often with good intentions, managers set up high performers as targets for sabotage, aggression, and exclusion. New research suggests that an emphasis on teamwork has amplified the risks for high performers. That’s partly because high performance is relative and based on social comparison. In communities with frequent interaction, opportunities for such comparison increase. Managers can address peer concerns that high performers threaten their welfare and resources by creating a more balanced performance review system that values team members’ contributions beyond task accomplishment — the dimension that most favors high performers. Second, and more importantly, managers can cultivate the understanding that everyone wins with high performers on the team.