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Envy + Disengagement = Sabotage FEELINGS OF ENVY in the workplace can lead employees to actively sabotage their peers, according to a new study by Michelle Duffy and Jason Shaw of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management in Minneapo- lis; Kristin Scott of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University in South Carolina; Bennett Tepper of Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business in Atlanta; and Karl Aquino of the Sauder School of Business at Canada's University of British Columbia in Vancouver. and had weak connections with co-workers were more likely to report committing acts of sabotage than those who experienced envy but had stron- ger connections with co-workers. Michelle Duffy People who feel envious may spread nega- tive rumors, withhold useful information, or secretly sabotage the efforts of colleagues, says Aquino. But such acts occur most in environ- ments where employees feel disconnected and "morally disengaged" from those around them. It's "a way of thinking that allows peo- ple to rationalize or justify harming others," Aquino explains. In one study, the researchers asked 160 employees at a Midwestern U.S. hospital to complete two separate surveys eight months apart. In the first, they were asked to rate their positive or negative reactions to a series of statements regarding envy, affinity with col- leagues, and comfort with subversive acts. Eight months later, they completed a second survey about their actual acts of undermining co-workers. The surveys showed that people who experienced envy The researchers also measured how one act of sabotage can lead to others. In a second study, they divided 247 business students into work groups. Over a semester, the students completed questionnaires in which they rated their level of envy, connection to their groups, and acts of sabotage committed by themselves or others in their groups. Students who reported feeling envi- ous and disconnected from their groups were significantly more likely to commit acts of sabo- tage when their group as a whole reported high rates of sabotage. Jason Shaw In the workplace, says Duffy, it's important that those in charge don't give a free pass to employees who undermine co-workers, because once such behavior starts, the tendency is for it to spread. She adds that the study's takeaway for manag- Kristin Scott ers isn't to stamp out all envy among employees, but to ensure that workers feel connected to their peers. "Envy on its own is not necessarily a nega- tive thing," she says. "However, managers would be well advised to consider team building strate- gies to ensure all of their employees are engaged in the group dynamic." "A Social Context Model of Envy and Social Undermining" is forthcoming in the Academy of Man- agement Journal. BizEd January/February 2012 57