My Boss’ Passion Matters as Much as My Own: The Interpersonal Dynamics of Passion are a Critical Driver of Performance Evaluations
Jachimowicz, JM; Wihler, A; Galinsky, AD
Date: 5 August 2021
Article
Journal
Journal of Organizational Behavior
Publisher
Wiley
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Companies often celebrate employees who successfully pursue their passion. Academic research
suggests that these positive evaluations occur because of the passion percolating inside the
employee. We propose that supervisors are also a key piece of this puzzle: Supervisors who are
more successful in their own pursuit of passion place ...
Companies often celebrate employees who successfully pursue their passion. Academic research
suggests that these positive evaluations occur because of the passion percolating inside the
employee. We propose that supervisors are also a key piece of this puzzle: Supervisors who are
more successful in their own pursuit of passion place more value on passion in their performance
evaluations. This produces an interpersonal dynamic whereby employees who are more
successful in pursuing their passion may receive higher performance ratings when their
supervisors are also more successful in pursuing their passion. We provide support for this core
hypothesis across a crowd-sourced study with a heterogeneous sample (N=106 subordinatesupervisor dyads), a field study with a financial services company (N=321 subordinatesupervisor dyads), and a laboratory experiment (N=205) that offers both causal and mediating
evidence. Crucially, we demonstrate that this interpersonal dynamic is specific to passion and
does not apply to less observable motivations (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation). These results
demonstrate that supervisors who successfully pursue their passion may overvalue passion
relative to other valuable attributes, leading to potential bias. They also give a new perspective
on managing upwards: Employees may further their own careers by helping their supervisors
pursue their passion.
Management
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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