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Good People Managers "Fake It" Study Reports.



Ms. Chiara Amati
Most business management books and classes teach that good leaders and managers are authentic, open and honest. Now a study published January 10, 2012 reports that many managers "fake it" and put on positive, encouraging emotions to ensure employees perform well in their jobs.  This is the key finding of a doctoral study conducted by psychologist Chiara Amati of Edinburgh Napier University.  



"Faking it seems to be part of good people management," Amati reports.According to Amati, "Managers who spoke to me reported feeling obliged to monitor their public displays of emotions in order to manage staff performance and maintain good working relationships with their team. It is more important for managers to deploy influencing skills to get people to do things; they simply do not have the authority to command unconditional respect."

A further finding of the study suggests that female managers may need to contrive their emotional displays more than their male counterparts.

"Female mangers need to deal with contrasting workplace stereotypes; on the one hand they are expected to be warm and nurturing, not angry or aggressive; on the other, displays of emotion, such as crying, are often seen as openly manipulative," reports Amati.

"We have known for some time that the emotional climate in the workplace is a key factor in employee wellbeing and performance," Amati continues. "We have also known about the need for managers to be emotionally intelligent to be successful. What we have established here is just how important it is that managers 'perform' or put on a public emotional show, even if they don't feel like it.

 
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The Entrepreneur's Bookshelf ~
The more you know about small business management and financing before you start, the more likely you are to succeed.  That's why I urge anyone thinking of starting a business to contact their local Small Business Development Center or Community College.  I have also organized this bookshelf for you at Powell's Books, the world's largest single site new and used bookstore, featuring the latest books on small business start-ups, marketing, and small business money management.   
A Selection Related to this Post:

Zen and the Art of Faking It
by Jordan Sonnenblick
Powells.com

 
 
Click on this link to see all the selections on ~

 
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