Recognize This! – Tolerating badly behaving high performers drives down productivity while increasing the level of aggression in the workplace.

Do you work with a jerk? Are managers inclined to sweep the jerk’s poor behavior under the rug saying, “That’s just his personality?”

Tony Wilson reported on research showing why this is incredibly detrimental to your organization, saying:

“More than merely annoying, rude behaviour is a catalyst for aggression and decreased productivity. When an employee is getting on everyone’s nerves, too many managers are too quick to say “oh, that’s just him”…. especially when it’s a star performer.

“ Professor Ido Erev, a specialist in behaviour explored the effect of rudeness. … The results were astonishing: the students who were treated rudely scored significantly worse in the test than those who were treated pleasantly.

“The students also did a classic creativity test – in two minutes, they had to think of as many uses as possible for brick. Those who were treated rudely concocted far more aggressive uses for the brick than those who weren’t, including smashing windows, using it as a weapon, and weighing down a dead body in a river!!”

This isn’t surprising. I’ve written about it before. Yet the response in the workplace remains the same: “But we need him!”

Do you? Do you really need someone one the team who consistently makes everyone else perform at a lower level, but with much higher aggressiveness? I reckon that one jerk’s performance can be easily made up by the rest of team just by removing the “threat” of rudeness.

Then again, why do people perceive they need to be rude at work? It could because nice people know they’ll be overlooked for powerful positions. Research from the Kellogg School of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business and Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business (and reported in MSNBC) showed:

“Nice guys and gals take note: You may be at risk of being overlooked for positions of power. When it comes to being a leader in a highly competitive situation or during tough times, altruism can be perceived as a sign of weakness, while being selfish and aggressive shows strength.”

Sadly, leadership seems to be communicating: “If you want to get ahead here, be a jerk.”

A far more effective approach to finding stellar leaders who can inspire those around them to give their best is to look for those who consistently recognize and praise team members for their efforts. These leaders get the best productivity out of their employees – but management must turn the tables on the prevailing assumption that jerks are better leaders.

Do you work for a jerk or a supportive, appreciative manager? How does that affect your productivity and level aggression at work?