The Upside of Playing Favorites

Xu, Haoying Howie; Pan, Jingzhou; Zheng, Xiaotong Janey

Abstract

While managers should strive to treat their employees fairly, it’s only natural for them to develop stronger relationships with some people than with others. The good news is, new research suggests that this sort of favoritism doesn’t have to be destructive. Specifically, if the “boss’s favorite” is perceived as expressing authentic rather than hubristic pride, researchers found that witnessing favoritism could actually motivate other employees to improve and build stronger relationships themselves. With the right approach, employees, managers, and leaders can build an organizational culture that celebrates positive workplace relationships and gives everyone the tools they need to grow and succeed.

Citation

Xu, H. H., Pan, J., & Zheng, X. J. (2022). The Upside of Playing Favorites. Harvard Business Review

• Online Publication Date: Jul 28, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-07
• Deposit Date: Jul 29, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 1, 2022
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1196570
• Publisher URL: https://hbr.org/2022/07/the-upside-of-playing-favorites