Corinne Bendersky

CorinneBenderskyonWhyNeuroticsGetaBumRapLauraW.GellerPublished:April6,2015Youhaveaspottofillonateamthat’sgoingtobeworkingtogetherforseveralmonthsonahighprofileassignment.Twoqualifiedcandidatescometomind.Oneisbrightandgregarious—sheradiatesenergyandiswelllikedaroundtheoffice.Theotherisquietandnervous.Hehasareputationforbeingobsessiveandcanbeoffputting.It’sanobrainer,right?Theextrovertwillshine,theneuroticwillshrink.Thinkagain.That’stheadviceofferedbyCorinneBendersky,associateprofessorofmanagementandorganizationsatUCLA’sAndersonSchoolofManagement.HerresearchwithNehaShahofRutgersBusinessSchoolshowsthattheassumptionspeoplemakeabouthowmuchvaluecolleagueswithdifferentpersonalitytypeswillbringtoagroupareusuallywrong.ThestudyispartofanevolvingbodyofworkbyBendersky,whojoinedAndersonafterearningherPh.D.fromMIT’sSloanSchoolofManagementin2002,onhowpeoplechangetheirpositionsinthesocialhierarchiesoftheirteams.Butthistime,insteadoffocusingonwhatpeopletodomanageothers’impressionsofthem,Benderskyconsideredhowstatuschangesaredrivenbytheperceptionsofanindividual’speers.Shestudiedtheinfluenceofpersonalitytypeontheseperceptions,withafocusonthetwodimensionsoftheBigFivetraitsthatpreviousresearchhasshownaremoststronglyassociatedwithstatusingroups:extroversionandneuroticism(shecontrolledfortheothertraits,whichareagreeableness,conscientiousness,andopennesstoexperience).Asinterdependentworkunfolds,shefinds,extrovertslosestatureandneuroticsgainstature.Inaninterviewwithstrategy+business,Bendersky,anavidtangoandsalsadancerwhodescribesherselfasnottooneurotic,explainsthisevolution—andwhyitmeansthatweshouldgivethathyperanxiouscolleagueanotherlook.S+B:Whenmostofushearthatsomeoneisan“extrovert”ora“neurotic,”wegetaclearpictureinourminds.BENDERSKY:Peoplehaveprettystandardexpectationsforhowextrovertsandneuroticsaregoingtobehaveintheworkplace,basedonlaytheoriesabouteachpersonalitytype.Extrovertsarecharismatic,engaging,andenergizing.Neuroticsarewithdrawnandanxious,maybeevenalittlenegativeorvolatile.Ontheonehand,ifwe’retoldthatwehaveacoworkerwithanextrovertedpersonality—andwedon’tknowmuchelseabouthim—ourexpectationsarepositive.Weassumethathisenergyandcharismawillmakehimastrongcollaboratorandcontributortothegroup,andweassignthatpersonhighvalueandhighstatus.Ontheotherhand,ourexpectationsofaneuroticcolleague(again,absentanyotherinformation)arenegative.Weassumeheranxietyandnegativitywillbedisruptive,resultinginweakcontributionstothegroup,andweassignherlowvalueandlowstatus.S+B:Howdidyoutestthoseassumptions?BENDERSKY:Myresearchcollaborator,NehaShah,andIconductedtwostudiestocompareperceptionandreality.Inthefirst,weobservedMBAstudentsworkingtogetheringroupsfora10weeksemester.Attheoutset,wemeasuredthestudents’personalities.Wethensurveyedthestudents’perceptionsofstatusinthegroupheldbyeachoftheirteammates,andwhattheyexpectedthemtocontribute.Afterthesemesterended,weaskedfortheirperceptionsagain—trackingthechangesinpeople’sfeelingsabouttheirteammates’statusandcontributionandcomparingthatdatawiththepersonalityassessmentstheirteammateshadcompleted.Becausewedidn’tlookattheparticipants’actualbehaviorinthatfirststudy,onlypeople’sperceptionoftheirbehavior,weconductedafollowupexperiment.Wecreatedascenarioinwhichwetoldparticipantstoimaginetheyhadaskedacolleague,“John,”tohelpthemwithanurgentdeadlinethattheywerestrugglingtomeet.AndthenwedescribedJohn’spersonalityasbeingattheextremeofeitherdimension,soextrovertedoritsopposite,introverted,orneuroticoritsopposite,emotionallystable.ParticipantsindicatedtheirexpectationsforJohnbasedontheinitialdescriptionofhispersonality.His“reply”totheirrequestwaseitherhelpfulornothelpful,andtheparticipantsevaluatedhimagainafterreceivingoneortheotherresponse.S+B:Whatdidyoufind?Whathappenswhenpeopleactuallystarttoworktogether?BENDERSKY:Whatwelearned,boththroughobservingrealteamsandthroughmanipulationsinalab,isthatintheabsenceofotherinformation,personalitysetsexpectations.Butasweworktogether,theactualinteractiveexperiencesenableustomakeinformedstatusassessments.Theinfluenceofanindividual’spersonalityweakensandbecomemuchlessrelevant.Itturnsoutthatbehaviorsassociatedwithastronglyextrovertedpersonalitydon’tmakeextrovertsparticularlygoodcollaborators.Ingroups,extrovertsliketobethecenterofattention.Theyarenotknownforbeinggoodlisteners.Theydon’ttypicallysolicitandintegrateotherpeople’sinputandsuggestions.Theyalsomaybepronetoexaggeratingtheircontributionoreventakingcreditforotherpeople’swork.They’remotivatedtobenefitthemselvesmorethanthegroup.So,notonlyaretheynotnecessarilycontributingmuchvalue,buttheymaybeengaginginselfaggrandizingbehaviors.Asthegroupworkstogether,peersrecognizethisbehavior,andfrankly,it’sannoying.Peoplewhoaremoreneurotic,however,areveryanxiousabouttheirsocialrelationships.Inparticular,they’reanxiousnottodisappointpeople,andthey’remotivatedinsocialcontextslikeinterdependentteamstoworkveryhard,topersistattheirtask,andtobewellprepared.Theyaredriventoputinagreatdealoftimeandeffortonbehalfofthegroup’sgoals.Asaresult,moreextrovertedcolleaguesfailtoliveuptothehighexpectations“It’sanunderdogstory.Weunderestimatethepotentialcontributionsofourneuroticcolleagues.”thattheircolleagueshaveforthem,andtheirpeers’valuationsofthemdrop.Theoppositeistrueforneurotics.Peoplehaveverylowinitialexpectationsofneurotics,butareimpressedbytheirexperiencesworkingwiththem.Becausetheneuroticsperformbetterandcontributemorethanpeopleinitiallyexpect,theesteemandvalueofthemoreneuroticcolleaguesriseovertime.Interestingly,inourlabexperiment,theeffectsofthedifferentpersonalitymanipulationsdidn’tvarybywhether“John”washelpfulornot:ExtrovertJohnwasrewardedlessforhishelpfulnessandpunishedmoreforhisunhelpfulnessthanwasintrovertJohn,neuroticJohn,andsoon.Andwhetherhehelpedornot,perceptionsofneuroticJohnimproved.S+B:Socontrarytocommonperception,neuroticsmakegreatteammates.BENDERSKY:PartofwhyIlikethisresearchsomuchisthereisalittlebitofanunderdogstoryhere.Weunderestimatethepotentialcontributionsofourneuroticcolleagues.Butouranxious,withdrawncolleagueswillsurpriseandimpressus.Thedataisreallyunambiguous:Neuroticsaregettingabadshake.Neuroticshavesignificantupsidepotentialwhentheygointoagroupsetting,andiftheyembraceandevenbuildontheirnaturalpersonalitybasedinclinationstoputalotofeffortintoagrouptask,they’reverylikelytoreapthesocialbenefits.Iftheyfeellikethey’rebeingunderappreciatedattheoutset,theycanfeelconfidentthatbybeingthemselves,they’regoingtoberewardedintheend.Extroverts,meanwhile,havetogoaboveandbeyondtoprovetheirvaluetothegroup.Ofcourse,wecanalllearntobehaveinwaysthataremoresophisticatedormorethoughtfulormoreconscientiousthanourdefault.It’samatterofsteppingoutsideyourcomfortzone.Ifthere’sawarenessonthepartofanextrovertthathisbehavioralinclinationsmaypotentiallybedisruptiveorleadhimtobeless“Intuitionsuggeststhatateamwithmoreextrovertsandfewerneuroticsisoptimal.That’snottrue.”appreciated,hecanlearntomoderatesomeofhisbehaviorstosustainthehighinitialpositiveperceptionsofhisteammates.Butthepointhereisthatextrovertshavetoworkatittopreventtheirstatusfromdropping,whereasneurotics’statuswillriseiftheyjustbehaveinawaythatisnormalforthem.S+B:Isthereanidealbalanceofpersonalitytypes?BENDERSKY:There’snosweetspotconfigurationofpersonalities.Andalsorememberthatpersonalitiesarejustonefacetofaprospectiveteammemberthatmaybeoffsetbyotherbenefitsthattheybring—andmostpeople’spersonalitiesarenotattheextremesofeachdimension.So,Icautionagainstusingpersonalityastoostrongadecisionfactor.Butmanagersneedtobeawareofwhattheirintuitionistellingthemwhentheyaredesigningteamstodointerdependentwork.Theirintuitionsuggeststhatmoreextrovertsandfewer(or,inextremecases,no)neuroticsisoptimalforachievinggoodoutcomes.Wenowknowthatthatjustisn’ttrue.Ofcourse,thatdoesn’tmeanthereshouldbenoextrovertsonteamsorthatyoushouldstackteamswithreallyneuroticpeople.Whatyouwantistohaveamixofpersonalities,justasyouwouldwantdiversityinotherdimensionsofyourteam.S+B:Howcanmanagersuseyourfindingstosetpeopleupforsuccess?BENDERSKY:Managersshouldthinkabouttheenvironmentinwhichpeoplewilladdthemostvalue.Ithinkit’squitelikelythatextrovertswoulddobetterinindividualcontributorroles,andespeciallyinclientfacingroles,whereasneuroticswouldprobablydobetterworkinginteams.Andthatgoesagainstsomeofthenormsintermsoftheallocationofhumanresources.Thetypicalthinkingis,well,thisextrovertedpersonwiththebright,energeticpersonality,let’sputherontheteam.Andthisneuroticpersonisgoingtobereallydisruptive,let’sputhiminabackoffice,individualcontributorrole.Weknowthatextrovertedpeoplearemotivatedbytheirownrecognitionandrewardsandnotthecollectivegood.Therefore,ifthey’reinapositionwheretheycanworkhardandpersonallyreaptherewardsoftheirachievements,that’sprobablygoingtobeabetterfitthanputtingtheminateamcontextwherethey’reeitherabsorbingalotofresourcesandattentionorclaimingalotofthesuccessforthemselves.Andmoreneuroticemployeeswillgivetheiralltotheirteam,whichisawinwin:abetterendresultfortheteam’sproject,andrecognitionamongcolleaguesandleadersoftheneurotics’trueabilitiesandvalue.