Unlocking Hidden Brilliance: The Managerial Pygmalion Principle
Preamble
Years ago, while reading Harvard Business Review’s “10 Must Read” series, I come across a truly remarkable article titled “Pygmalion in Management” by J. Sterling Livingston. Revisiting it this morning, I was surprised to discover it was published exactly fifty-five years back, in July-August 1969, coinciding with humanity’s giant leap onto the moon.
Intrigued by the title, I pondered its connection to the famous play by George Bernard Shaw “Pygmalion” and the myth of Pygmalion, the sculptor. A fascinating pattern emerged, and I’m eager to share my insights with you.
One part of the article is surprisingly relevant to India’s pharmaceutical industry today. It’s almost as if J. Sterling Livingston was a Nostradamus and looked through a crystal ball into the future of Indian pharma.
I believe this blog is the perfect platform to explore these three interconnected stories.
The 3 Stories
Story 1
Pygmalion, a gifted sculptor in Cyprus, found himself disgusted by the behavior of the women around him. Seeking solace in his art, he channeled his disillusionment into breathtaking sculptures. However, one day, a royal decree forced him to deviate from his usual path. The King of Cyprus commanded Pygmalion to carve a woman of ivory. Refusing would mean death, a grim consequence that left Pygmalion with no choice. “But why compromise my reputation with mediocre work?” he muttered to himself.
Despite the unwelcome task, Pygmalion poured his heart into it. Every detail, from the flowing hair to the gentle curve of her lips, was a testament to his skill and longing.
Days turned into weeks as Pygmalion poured his heart into his creation. He adorned her with silk dresses and precious jewels, treating her as if she were already alive. He found himself whispering secrets to her cold marble ear, longing for a response that never came. Unknown to Pygmalion, his love was blossoming into something extraordinary.
One day, overwhelmed by his affection, Pygmalion knelt before Aphrodite, the goddess of love. He poured out his heart, confessing his love for the statue and his yearning for a love that reciprocated. Touched by his devotion and the purity of his creation, Aphrodite took pity. With a gentle touch, she imbued the statue with life.
The workshop, once filled with the monotonous tapping of chisel on stone, echoed with a gasp. Pygmalion watched in awe as his creation, now named Galatea, blinked her eyes open for the first time. The warmth of life filled the room, replacing the cold stillness. Relief and joy washed over Pygmalion as Galatea reached out, her touch sending shivers down his spine.
Their love story, born from art and magic, defied expectations. Pygmalion, once a cynic, found his heart overflowing with love. Galatea, a woman sculpted to perfection, learned the beauty of human emotions. Together, they proved that love could bloom in the most unexpected places, a testament to the power of both artistry and compassion.
Story 2
Part 2 of the story is about a play ‘Pygmalion’ written by George Bernard Shaw. It is the story of transformation of a young girls life. Elizabeth Doolittle is a girl selling flowers. She is pretty – yet crude and ill-mannered. Prof. Higgins and Col. Pickering take a challenge to experiment and transform unrefined, unpolished girl, into a lady fit into the royal family. The tutoring starts but Prof. Higgins and Col. Pickering have a different and contrasting styles. Prof. Higgins treats her like a flower girl. He is abrasive and unsupportive. “You are no good.” “You will never make it”, he says, On the other hand, Col. Pickering is very supportive and caring. He treats her like a lady from day one. With words like :‘Good’, ‘You can do it’, he keeps on encouraging her.
And soon the day comes when she is ready to step into the royal palace for a ball. No one suspects that Eliza Doolittle is only a girl who sold flowers. Like in the story of Pygmalion in Greek mythology, the crude unrefined Eliza is transformed into a royal lady. Later when they return home, they both congratulate her. Eliza Doolittle responds: ‘You see, really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up, [the dressing and the proper way of speaking and so on]; the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Prof. Higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl and always will, but I know that I can be a lady to you (i.e., to Col. Pickering) because you always treat me as a lady and always will.’
Here too, Pygmalion (Prof. Higgins and Col. Pickering) ultimately transformed a piece of cold marble (Eliza Doolittle) into a beautiful young lady (a lady fit to be the royal family).
Story 3
J. Sterling Livingston’s article “Pygmalion in Management,” published in the Harvard Business Review in the July-August 1969 issue, explores the powerful impact of managerial expectations on employee performance. The article draws its name from the Greek myth of Pygmalion, a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved, which then came to life. Similarly, Livingston argues that managers’ expectations can significantly shape their employees’ behavior and performance.
Livingston presents the idea that when managers have high expectations for their employees; those employees are likely to perform better. Conversely, low expectations can lead to poorer performance. This phenomenon is often referred to as the “Pygmalion effect” or the “self-fulfilling prophecy.”
The article includes various case studies to illustrate this concept. For example, Livingston describes an insurance executive who assigned his best agents to his most capable manager, resulting in outstanding performance. On the other hand, a group of low-performing agents assigned to a less capable manager saw their performance decline further. Interestingly, a group of average agents assigned to an average manager improved significantly because the manager believed in their potential and treated them accordingly.
Livingston’s key message is that managers should be aware of their expectations and strive to maintain positive and high expectations for all employees. By doing so, they can foster a more productive and motivated workforce.
How these three stories are interrelated
All three works deal with the power of expectations and belief in shaping reality.
In the original myth, Pygmalion’s love and desire bring a cold white stone creation to life.
In Shaw’s play, Col. Pickering’s belief in his ability to transform Eliza (and, by extension, his expectations of her) leads to her transformation.
J Sterling Livingstone’s article extends this idea to the business world, showing how managers’ expectations can influence employee performance.
The common thread is the “Pygmalion Effect” or “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy,” where one person’s expectations about another person’s behavior may affect that person’s behavior in ways that confirm the expectations.
The interrelation:
All three works deal with the power of expectations and belief in shaping reality. In the original myth, Pygmalion’s love and desire bring his creation to life. In Shaw’s play, Col. Pickering’s belief in his ability to transform Eliza (and, by extension, his expectations of her) leads to her transformation. Livingstone’s article extends this idea to the business world, showing how managers’ expectations can influence employee performance.
The common thread is the “Pygmalion effect” or “self-fulfilling prophecy,” where one person’s expectations about another person’s behavior may affect that person’s behavior in ways that confirm the expectations.
1. Transformation through expectation:
In all three cases, there’s a central figure who holds certain expectations that lead to transformation.
Original myth: Pygmalion’s love and expectation transform the statue into a living woman.
Shaw’s play: Col. Pickering’s expectation that he can transform Eliza leads to her actual transformation.
Livingstone’s article: Managers’ expectations influence employee performance and development.dynamics: Each scenario involves a power dynamic where one party has influence over another’s development or existence
2. Power Dynamics:
Each scenario involves a power dynamic where one party has influence over another’s development or existence.
Myth: Pygmalion (creator) and his statue (creation)
Play: Col. Pickering’s (teacher) and Eliza (student)
Management: Manager and employee
3. Societal Implications:
While the myth is more personal, both Shaw’s play and Livingstone’s article explore broader societal implications.
Shaw critiques class distinctions and the malleability of social status.
Livingstone applies the concept to organizational behavior and management practices.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy:
The self-fulfilling prophecy is a key concept tying these works together. Coined by sociologist Robert K. Merton in 1948, it describes a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true.
Mechanism: The prophecy or expectation influences behavior, which then makes the original prediction come true.
In the myth: Pygmalion’s love and desire for the statue to be real arguably influence Aphrodite’s decision to bring it to life.
In Shaw’s play: Col. Pickering’s belief that he can transform Eliza, and his subsequent treatment of her as if she were already transformed, contribute to her actual transformation.
In management: A manager’s high expectations lead to more opportunities, support, and confidence for an employee, which in turn leads to better performance, fulfilling the original expectation.
Positive and negative effects: Self-fulfilling prophecies can work both ways. High expectations can lead to positive outcomes, while low expectations can lead to negative ones.
Broader applications: This concept extends beyond these specific examples to education (teacher expectations affecting student performance), healthcare (placebo effect), and many other fields.
The progression from myth to literature to management theory shows how a powerful psychological concept can be applied and reinterpreted across different domains of human experience. It underscores the significant impact our expectations and beliefs can have on outcomes, whether in personal relationships, social interactions, or professional settings.
This interrelation highlights the enduring relevance of the Pygmalion story and its central idea: that our expectations and beliefs about others can play a crucial role in shaping their reality and performance.
Research now reveals:
What managers expect of their subordinates and the way they treat them largely determine their performance and also their career progress.
- A distinctive characteristic of a superior FLL is the ability to create high-performance expectations that a medical representative will fulfill.
- Less effective managers do not develop such expectations, and as a consequence, the productivity of their medical representatives suffers.
- Medical representatives more often than not appear to do what they believe they are expected to do.
Pygmalion (the FLL) ultimately transformed a piece of cold marble (the greenhorn medical representative) into a beautiful young lady (a medical representative who can be promoted). Or for that matter any boss, manager or leader has the capability to transform a greenhorn employee into a performer.
Writes J Sterling Livingston in this article: “A young person’s first manager is likely to be the most influential in that person’s career. If managers are unable or unwilling to develop the skills young employees need to perform effectively, the latter will set lower personal standards than they are capable of achieving, their self-images will be impaired, and they will develop negative attitudes toward jobs, employers, and—in all probability—their own careers in business. Since the chances of building successful careers with these first employers will decline rapidly, the employees will leave, if they have high aspirations, in hope of finding better opportunities. If, on the other hand, early managers help employees achieve maximum potential, they will build the foundations for successful careers.”
“Rarely do new graduates work closely with experienced middle managers or upper-level executives. Normally they are bossed by first-line managers who tend to be the least experienced and least effective in the organization. While there are exceptions, first-line managers generally are either “old pros” who have been judged as lacking competence for higher levels of responsibility, or they are younger people who are making the transition from “doing” to “managing.” Often these managers lack the knowledge and skill required to develop the productive capabilities of their subordinates. As a consequence, many college graduates begin their careers in business under the worst possible circumstances. Since they know their abilities are not being developed or used, they quite naturally soon become negative toward their jobs, employers, and business careers.”
This article by Sterling Livingston is something like Nostradamus’s prophecy of Pharma India! Mind well, this article was written in July-August 1969, also the month when man landed on the moon!! Here read it!
