Motivated Employees Often Receive More Work Due to Manager Fallacy

A new study has revealed a significant fallacy held by many executives regarding the relationship between motivation and additional tasks. Researchers found that managers often assume that employees who enjoy their primary tasks will also enjoy additional work and that this enjoyment will protect against exhaustion. However, this assumption is not supported by empirical evidence.

The study, which involved managers rating the expected enjoyment and risk of exhaustion for an intrinsically motivated person compared to a less motivated person, found that the expected enjoyment for the intrinsically motivated person was 4.9 on a scale of 1 to 7, while the expected enjoyment for the less motivated person was 2.5. The expected risk of exhaustion for the intrinsically motivated person was 3.0, compared to 4.9 for the less motivated person.

To further investigate this phenomenon, a six-day follow-up study involving 120 managers was conducted. In this study, managers were asked to document their decisions regarding the allocation of additional tasks. The results showed that the person assessed as more motivated was chosen in 69 percent of 658 documented decisions. This suggests that managers often allocate more work to intrinsically motivated employees, even though this allocation can lead to higher levels of exhaustion.

A survey of 798 participants also revealed the impact of this imbalance. When tasks were distributed unevenly, expected job satisfaction dropped from 5.6 to 4.5 on the same scale, while it remained virtually unchanged for less motivated colleagues. This indicates that the distribution of work can significantly affect the overall job satisfaction of employees.

To mitigate this imbalance, the study also explored different strategies. When managers were presented with several additional tasks at once rather than individually, the percentage who selected the intrinsically motivated person dropped from 83 to 62 percent. Additionally, when 199 managers first read a short academic article about the risk that even highly enthusiastic employees can burn out, the rate dropped from 77 to 43 percent.

The BRAIN FOR BUSINESS (R) continuing education program addresses precisely these kinds of blind spots in everyday leadership. It combines neuroscience, leadership, and continuing education into a format for leadership development that shows how perception and attribution guide decisions. Those who question their own view of motivation are also practicing a form of self-leadership, because the misjudgment lies first and foremost with the leader themselves, not with the person who ends up with the extra work.

The specialist portal Haufe describes how intrinsic motivation fundamentally arises and why it cannot be mandated in an overview of intrinsic motivation in the workplace. According to this overview, intrinsic motivation thrives above all where employees experience autonomy, can apply their skills, and feel socially integrated, conditions that are undermined by a thoughtlessly assigned additional task precisely when no one asks for input beforehand.

In summary, the study highlights a significant fallacy held by many executives regarding the relationship between motivation and additional tasks. By understanding the brain's processes of motivation and exhaustion, managers can avoid this fallacy and ensure that their leadership practices are fair and effective.