The Pygmalion Theory
Pygmalion Effect
The Pygmalion effect, or Rosenthal effect, is the phenomenon in which the
greater the expectation placed upon people, the better they perform.
From Where the Effect PYGMALION is derived?
The Pygmalion effect is named after a Greek mythology of Pygmalion.”
Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with an ivory statue of his own making.
Enamored by the beauty of his own making, Pygmalion begs the gods to give him a wife
in the likeness of the statue. The gods grant the request, and the statue comes to life.”
What is Pygmalion Effect?
The Pygmalion effect is the forms of Self-fulfilling prophecy, and, in this respect,
people will internalize their positive labels, and those with positive labels succeed
accordingly. Within Sociology, the effect is often cited with regard to education
and social class.
Pygmalion Effect or Self-fulfilling Propecy both terms describe how a person will
consciously or unconsciously learn of an expectation and act in a way that is consistent
with expectation.
The Pygmalion Effect Study/ Rosenthal–Jacobson study
In the study, 20% of the students within each of 18 elementary school
classrooms were randomly assigned to a ‘high achiever’ group, with the remaining 80%
serving as the control group. The teachers in those classrooms were told that these
particular students in the ‘high achiever’ group had a superior IQ; even though the
students were in fact chosen at random. By the end of the year, the students who were
randomly assigned to the ‘high achiever’ group showed significantly more intellectual
growth in the form of increased IQ points than the control group.
James Rhem, executive editor for the online National Teaching and Learning
Forum, Summarized this and said simply:
“When teachers expect students to do well and show intellectual growth, they do;
when teachers do not have such expectations, performance and growth are not so
encouraged and may in fact be discouraged in a variety of ways.”
Practical tips:
Never forecast failure in the classroom.
Do not participate in gripe sessions about students.
Establish high expectations.
Student Rating of Teachers
FELDMAN & PROHASKA (1979) sought to discover if the Pygmalion effect could
occur in reverse. That is, if a student's expectation of their teacher could be transmitted
to the teacher and influence their performance.
Pygmalion in Management
J. Sterling Livingston, a professor at Harvard Business School subsequently
wrote an article called Pygmalion in Management, which was followed up with a number
of studies and experiments. The article and the studies illustrated that, just as with
teachers and students,
“A manager’s expectations are key to a subordinate’s performance and
development.”
What’s the Right Level of Expectations?
The degree of motivation and effort rises until the probability of success reaches
50%, then begins to fall even though the probability of success continues to increase.
Applying the Pygmalion Effect to Maximize Your Team’s Performance
Expect the best from your people.
Seek to understand your team member’s expectations about their own
capabilities.
Train your leaders about the Pygmalion Effect, and ensure they expect the best
from their team members.
Help team members set goals that they believe they have a 50% chance of
achieving.
As team members achieve their stretch goals, expect more from them and
encourage them to believe in themselves.
Pygmalion Effect in action!
Challenge
Freedom
Respect
Warmth
Control
Success
PYGMALION EFFECT IN ACTION
Quotations
"When teachers expect students to do well and show intellectual growth,
they do; when teachers do not have such expectations, performance and
growth are not so encouraged and may in fact be discouraged in a variety
of ways."
"How we believe the world is and what we honestly think it can become
have powerful effects on how things will turn out."
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." –
Henry Ford
In 2004, US President George W. Bush referred to "the soft bigotry of low
expectations" as one of the challenges faced by disadvantaged and
minority students.
“Great leaders believe in the potential of their people, and help them
become all they are capable of being. To create a high-performing team,
you must have high expectations of your team members, believe in their
ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and help them
set stretch goals. They might just surprise you, and themselves.”
