Pygmalion Revisited: Determining Worth and Mobility Prospects for Low-skill Workers in Healthcare

• In Event: 1184 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 09. Valuation and Evaluation

Abstract

When the expectations of a superior affects the performance of subordinates, it’s called the Pygmalion Effect. This study analyzes the conditions under which supervisors enhance or lessen their expectations in low-ranking workers and shows evidence of a Pygmalion Effect linked to aspects of organizational culture and practices which influence supervisors’ willingness to invest in their low-skill, low-wage workers. Through interviews with 44 supervisors in four U.S. hospitals participating in a workforce development program for frontline staff, I examine factors that shaped the way supervisors perceived the worth and mobility prospects of their staff. I also show how organization culture and practices enhanced or diminished supervisors’ ability to take credit for their workers’ success; and how supervisors’ preserved their feelings of competence by investing in, or distancing themselves from workers based on their expectations for worker success. Notably, I show evidence that supervisors can change their perceptions and expectations of staff with specific organizational changes in culture which can directly influence the perceived market value and potential growth and mobility of low-wage workers.

Author

• Kendra Jason, University of North Carolina-Charlotte