Submitted by janesays on Sat, 02/24/2007 - 9:58pm.
Most of us want to be successful and move ahead in our careers. Yet in every workplace, there are individuals who quickly and consistently move ahead, those who advance slowly, and those who do not advance at all. The best workers are likely to be the ones that advance in the workplace, but how can a person become the best?
In an effort to find an answer to this question, I came across a study done by a professor at Rice University. According to research conducted by Jing Zhou, a professor at the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, grumpy workers are the best workers.
Zhou surveyed 161 employees and their supervisors at a large oil-field services company and found that grumpy workers are the most creative problem solvers, while happy and cheerful employees tend to believe that all is well and no problems need to be solved. As a result, cheerful people are not as forward looking and usually do not see problems until they become crises, she concludes.
The traditional view has been that happy people who are in good moods are more creative problem solvers. However, Zhou found that people who experience periodic bad moods are more analytical and detail oriented, and more likely to challenge the status quo. In addition, when someone is in a foul mood, they are motivated to get out of it as quickly and effectively as possible, making them more likely to use their creativity at work to find their way out.
But being grumpy all of the time is not very helpful in the workplace. If a worker is grumpy all the time, they do not exhibit those traits of creativity and productivity over the long term. People who are only occasionally grumpy do exhibit these traits, but they need a good manager who allows them to operate and encourages change. Without a good manager, a grumpy person is just—-well, grumpy.
Grumpy workers tend to be more independent and willing to challenge traditional ideas. When a worker is happy and content all the time, she may be less creative—because she agrees with the majority of people and things that are going on in all of the assignments, projects, and teams she is working on.
A grumpy worker, on the other hand, is not content with just getting along and seeks to change things for the better. As a result, grumpy workers also face better chances of advancement.
I think Ms. Zhou may have something. When I was in college, all of the people that I knew that were grumpy and stressed out come test time ended up performing well. Later they went on to get good positions in high stress, intense industries (i.e. Wall Street, corporate law, etc.). They all make a lot of money and have positions of responsibility in their firms as well.
There you have it. If you want to increase your creativity and increase your chances of getting promoted— if you want to be the best— don’t be so damn cheerful. Try showing up to work grumpy every once in a while.
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