Kellogg School of Management.

If left unchecked, this deadly sin

can sabotage your company's performance-and your own. by Tanya Menon and Leigh Thompson
AS YOU ENTER your recently promoted

1I

colleague's office, you notice a photograph of his beautiful family in their new vacation home. He casually adjusts his custom suit and mentions his upcoming board meeting and speech in Davos. On one hand, you want to feel genuinely happy for him and celebrate his successes. On the other, you hope he falls into a crevasse in the Alps. Envy-the distress people feel when others get what they want-is universal. Over the past 10 years, we have studied hundreds of executives and their organizations in an effort to discover what role thisdeadly sin plays in the workplace. We have found that regardless of the economic climate, people at all levels of a firm are vulnerable to envy. However, it intensifies in times of economic crisis. As lossfs
74 Harvard Business Review April 9010

mount, employees worry that they're in jeopardy and grow to resent successful colleagues. Envy damages relationships, disrupts teams, and undermines organizational performance. Most of all, it harms the one who feels it. When you're obsessed with someone else's success, your self-respect suffers, and you may neglect or even sabotageyour own performance and possibly your career. Envy is difficult to manage, in part because it's hard to admit that we harbor such a socially unacceptable emotion. Our discomfort causes us to conceal and deny our feelings, and that makes things worse. Repressed envy inevitably resurfaces, stronger than ever. In the course of our research, we've found that it is possible to prevent yourself from being consumed by

ENW AT WORK

envy and even to harness it to your advantage. In this ally, Marty lashed out at Scott during a meeung, sevarticle we'll explain how to recognize potentially de- ering their professional relationship and sabotaging structive thoughts and behaviors; refocus them into himself in the process. Scott moved forward, but more generous, productive ones; and make yourself Marty left the firm, feeling vengeful and unable to more open to others, more receptive to change, and revive his "love of the game." more fulfilled at work. We will also offer suggestions The DamagingSide Effects for managing envy within your team. This story illustrates two common manifestations of A Tale of Two Colleagues envy: disparagement and distancing. When people Envy has sometimes been described as a social mi- have qualities we envy but cannot easily acquire, croscope. When others' successes in the workplace like beauty or charm, we tend to dismiss the value of bother you, you become ruminative. You obsess over those qualities and even treat them with scorn. We interactions with rivals, compare your rewards, and make ourselves feel better by belittling the accomoveranalyzeeven the fleetingpraise the boss bestows plishments of the person we resent, just as Marty put on others. Your least-generous self surfaces as you Scott down by saying things like "Well, he was just lucky," or "He just got the plum assignment because try to boost your fragile ego at your rivals' expense. Some people become so fixated on a rival that he plays politics." By using such language, Marty they lose their focus on their own performance. also called into question the fairness of the managConsider what happened between two colleagues ers who had supported Scott and, by extension, the we'll call Scott and Marty, executives in an elite con- legitimacy of the organization as a whole. sulting firm, who were regarded as the heart and People also tend to distance themselves from the soul of their team. Initially, they were good friends. objects of their envy. Though friendly competitors They even toasted each other during a business trip, challenge each other, enviers have difficulty learning saying that they would "change the world together." from and collaborating with others. That can lead to They inspired and balanced each other. They were disruptions or oversights at work. In one technology inseparable. company we studied, managers who felt threatened Although Marty was objectively the stronger by another group's idea simply ignored it. At one performer, Scott's personality and social network investment bank, a senior banker was so envious earned him more attention, opportunities, and rec- of a colleague's position and power that instead of ognition both inside and outside the firm. At first, talking to the colleague directly, he communicated Marty brushed aside his resentment, telling himself through a go-between. Why do we pull away from colleagues we envy? that people would inevitably recognize his superiority. However, as Scott's charm catapulted him higher, Perhaps because we experience this emotion more Marty's envy won out. He undermined Scott in con- intensely with people who are close to us. According versations at the watercooler, seethed whenever his to psychologist Abraham Tesser, people are indeed rival spoke at meetings, and barely made eye contact unhappier when a close friendsucceeds in a perwith him. Marty grew disengaged from the organiza- sonally relevant domain than when a stranger does. tion as well, distancing himself from teammates and Strangers are an abstraction, and their achievements refusing to mentor younger analysts whom he had readily helped before. Once considered a superstar, Marty now lacked passion for his work and performed poorly. Senior management was baffled. How could a top per! former deteriorate into this negative force? Eventu-

Why do we pull away from colleagues we envy? perhaps because we experience this emotion more intensely with people who are close t o us.
76 Harvard Business Review April aoio

1
,+T;

3de~ i i Brief
Denying or concealing envy makes the problem worse. T o help you manage your feelings, the authors offer mental exercises to bring out your most generous self. B y confronting your feelings and replacing negative habits of thinking with moreproductive ones, you will become more open to others, more receptive to change. and more fulfilled at work.

- ,

-2,
a-

Comparing yourself with successful coworkers can be motivating, but it can also trigger envy. The authors' research suggests that such feelings may cause real damage, both to your own career and to your organization's success.

are merely statistics. The successes of your close This dislike of learning from inside rivals has a friends are vivid and seem attainable to you, too. high organizationalprice. Employees instead pursue Paul McCartney once described the psychological external ideas that cost more both in time (which is barriers undermining the Beatles' collaboration this often spent reinventingthe wheel) and in money (if way: "I would bring in a song and you could sort of they hire consultants). see John [Lennonl stiffen a bit. Next day, he'd bring We saw these patterns at play at Fresh Choice, a in a song and I'd sort of stiffen. And it was like, 'Oh, West Coast salad-buffet chain, in research we conducted with Stanford Business School professor Jefyou're going to do that, are you?'" The desire to remain at arm's length from suc- frey Pfeffer. Fresh Choice managers initially coveted cessful colleagues leads to missed opportunitiesand the inventivemenus and lively decor and atmosphere Gmnizational inefficiency. Our research shows that of a competitor chain, Zoopa. After Fresh Choice acpkople want to learn more about ideas that come quired Zoopa, the Fresh Choice managers felt threatfrom other comparues than about ideas that origi- ened by their Zoopa peers and began to criticize n a = rivals in their own organizations. In one them.The former Zoopa managers-once referred to < study, we asked managers from various industries as %right," "creative," and "energeticn-now seemed to develop innovation strategies for a restaurant to the insiders to be "burnt out" and "sloppy." Fresh chain. We next had them look at two identical sets of Choice managers actively resisted learning from the restaurant design innovations. One group was told very people they had once admired from afar. Most that the designs came from outsiders, and another of the Zoopa managers eventually left the company, that they came from people in their own companies. taking their intellectualcapital with them. We then asked the managers to rate their willingness to use the ideas and to specify what portion Stopping the Downward Spiral of a $lo,ooo budget they'd allocate to acquiring in- Although the German word schadenfreude-delightformation about the innovations. The participants ingin others' misery-rapidly entered the English who believed the innovations came from e x t e n d lexicon, the term mudita (from Pali, an ancient lanrivals were more willing to use them and allocated guage of India), used by Buddhists to mean "rejoic$2,470, on ayerage, to learningabout them, wheteas ing in the good fortune of others," has not. It is the the group that believed the idea~~camefkominternal rare person whose automatic impulse is to feel glad r i d s allocated $1,740. .,;-+.:if . ,h h e n meeting someone smarter, prettier, or richer. What caused these differences? Concerns about Nevertheless, it is possible to cultivate more generstatus.When we copy an idea from an outsider, we're osity of spirit and quiet the cruel voice of envy. To lay a' seen as enterprising; when we borrow an idea from thegroundworkfor mudita, we suggest a few simple a?olleague, we mark that person as an intellectual techniques, which we've found help people replace leader. We askedthe managers to estimate how likely their envy with more-productivehabits of mind. w e r to lose status by adopting the design ideas, Pinpointwhat makes you envious. Your envy I E on a scale from 1(extremelyd e l y )to 7 (verylikely). reflex can be a u s e f u lsource of information. Think of I i The managers who believed the ideas were internal it as data on what you value. II), , thought they were 36% more likelyto lose status than The key is to recognize the circumstances and wL; managers who believed the ideas were external. qualities in others that trigger your envy. Ask your,

--

6 .

Aprii 2010 Harvard Business Review

INW AT WORK

SELF-ASSESSMENT

Aro V ~ I Eallina I i n t n t h o Fn\nr Tran9

In our research, we use the following exercise t o help people recognize patterns of thought that lead t o negative thinking:
selfif y0~rfedlTlgSre~eal what yo~areIIl0StiIlSe~~IeThink about a person in about lacking. For example, do you envy people who your organization who learn new skills more quickly, earn higher s a k i , or , get praise from the boss? When you accurately idenat a similar level and tify the things that set you off, you can begin to tame a i t h whom YOU often envious feelings before they t u r n into counterpro- '*ompare Think ductive responses. You can also focus on improvone ofthis person's . ing yourself in the areas you've discoveredyou care :dbout @cent accomplishments* about most. (For some helpful questions, see the sidebar "Are YOU ~ a h into g the Envy Trap?") r e it. Then answer Don't focus on other people; focus on youre below. self. Comparingyourself with others is natural and can be motivational. However7 too Inuch of it leads to envy, especiallyif you're ungenerous

&

performance, he was amazed to se achieved a 5% to 10% annual increasein d e s while at his h . This made him feel more and took the edge off his resentment of Scott. Afirm yourself. Though recognizing your emocan tional ai%Yrs and your own accom~lis-ts help you check envy, you still mighhet rejoice i n others' successes. If you feel threatened every time &a a perceived rival does well, you can squelch your k#. When was the last time you gave knee-jerk resentment by doing one simple thing: #e public credit or kudos to this r e r n i n d i n y o u r s e l f g UCperson? Last time he or she had a Inone e m m e n t w e asked p ~ p l e t o ~ success (o), Don't remember ( I ) , about a rival and prepare for a task in which they i . l N~~~~(2) would evaluate that person's latest idea. Before the Wt task, half the participants listed some of thek own DOyou sometimes catch yourself

k
h .

a.
d

These questions come which measures your

cherished values ("I put my family first"). The other half did not. This simple exercise yielded profound results. When we asked the participants what percentage of their worlung hours they'd be wiliuig to devote to learning about their rival's plan, we fomd that managers who had affirmed themselves were willing to allocate about 60% more time than those who had not affirmed themselves. I it by 20 people in a department over the course of a year, the impact could be huge.
I : ~ . @ I

person has? Yes (I),

NO (0)

6. Imagine that this person suffers

Sad (o), Indifferent (I), Happy (2)

8. 1 have never intensely disliked

sb+yq qM

How to Manage Envy on Your Team

-.

anyone. False (o), True (1)

score on items 1-6 is likely to truly indicate

beginning with the person who envies. Marty became so obsessed w i t h SCOWS results that he stopped focusing on his own performance. Envy also affects the envied, who face potential sabotage; although
78 Harvard Business Review April 2oro

Marty's griping behind Scott's back seemed harmless, it could have undermined Scott's projects, reputation, and career, especially if others shared Marty's feelings. Envy also spreads negativity throughout the organization. As a manager, you may have to deal with envy directed not only at your top people but at yourself. Y 0 u . r best team members or, for that matter, turning down rewards for your own v w - s e a d , acknowledge that recognition and rewardsuwillineyita-bly generate envy, and then implementthe following t e h q u e s to circumvent and manage it. Share power. Managers who share the glory with subordinates and promote others help both their teams and themselves. One senior Unilever executive we studied always rewarded her successful subordinates with responsibility and aedit. She earned a reputation for developing exceptionaIly motivated future leaders and created allies in the process. She was promoted-precisely because she built up others. Make what is scarce pLentiRtL. Often, people on teams throw sharp elbows as they compete for resources they perceive to be limited. While some resources are certainly finite (suchas budgets), you can enlarge other kinds &re readily. For instance, one manager we stiiiied noticed that his team constantly engaged in one-upmanship at meetings in attempts to win scarce airtime with him. Although meeting times were fixed, hihis persod timewas flexible. Therefore, he guaranteed every team member an hour of one-on-one time with him each week, which resulted in more-collaborativenkethgs. Sharingresources with other team will also help tamp down envy in your organization. Managers often believe they can guarantee their sunrival by hoarding resources, but in reality, they only isolate themselves and lose alIies, and may even set inrnotion their own demise. Sharing resources, in contrast, lays the groundwork for reciprocityand future collaboration. Give enviers and their targets different spheres of influence. Enabhg envierstomentally separate their roles and carve out separate domains can curtailinvidious comparisons. For instance, Scott recently contacted Marty about rejoining the firm. During the conversation, Marry's resentments resurfaced. W e coached Marty to constxuct a situationthat would not invite direct comparisonsbetweenthe two men. He suggested that he lead the firm2sup-and-

comers and Scott manage subordinates who needed more coaching.With the tasks clearly differentiated, Marty felt ready to confrontthe challengeand agreed to rejoin the ~ I I T I . The new arrangement has worked well: It allows the two men to learn from each other, but their work isn't directly comparable, and they can't be evaluated using the same metrics. Beware of Linguistic triggers. Managers unintentionally breed envy by signaling,-through subtle cues, that thev appreciate certain types of traits and successes more than others that may be less attention-getting but just as vaIuable to the organization. So be especially careful about your use of language. For instance, too much public vraise a team member's "leadershiu" can make it seem as if you overlook the imwrtance of collaborative follow5rs. (In one college that celebratedthe cultureof leadership, undergraduates frequently founded clubs just so that they could become "president," Lacking incentivesfor "followership," these clubs struggled to find members and rarely accomplished much,) Similarly,a word suchas "innomimQets people up to play the comparison game. Instead of singling out innovators, encourage collaborativepractices and reward creative thievery. Thomas Edison cele-eativity needed to apply, m o w , and improve ideas, noting that he simply gave "commercial value to the brilliant, but misdirected, ideas of others" and that he himself was "more of a sponge than an inventor." At one time BP, in addition to rewarding innovators, conferred a "thief of the year"' award, honoring employees who recognized and b o m e d internal colleagues' innovations.
m E ECONOMIC CRBSIS has prompted people t oqws-

tion th& own market value with more urgency and fear. The barrage of news about compensation inequalities reminds us that others enjoy huge rewards that we don't. Social networking sites tell us when our work contacts get promotionsand are enjoying better vacations than our own. Anxiety about our own performance underscores our insecuritieses These and other forces have recently collided to prod u e a pdect storm of organizationalenvy. Although envy is natural and automatic, our research has shown that it is controllable. By reflect@on your vulnerable moments and practicingnew habits, you can turn an undignified and harmful emotion into a means of improving both your own perftmwmce and your team's. U
HBR R@nt R 1 0 0 4 F

fanard Business Review lg