“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”
Napoleon Hill
A form of self-fulfilling prophecy, the Golem Effect is when lower expectations placed upon individuals lead to poorer performance by the individual.
First labeled and studied In 1982 by Babad, Rosenthal and Inbar, they found when poor performance is expected from an individual – either by superiors or the person themselves – it results in actual poor performance. They found interactions with the subject readily convey expectations and have a capacity to shape the subject’s conduct.
The Golem Effect fosters:
- Loss of self-confidence
- Poor productivity
- Poor perception of self, peers and superiors
- Zero innovation and creative problem solving
- Playing to the gallery
4 step process to mitigate the Golem Effect
- Foster a friendly environment and be kind
- Seek opportunities to reinforce learning
- Present more opportunities to interact in areas of difficulty
- Use positive words of affirmation and use more detailed constructive feedback
When faced with lowered expectations, people tend to perform poorly. To mitigate such an effect, self-awareness is the key first step to avoid setting low expectations. Then, expecting the best and ensuring that good performance is facilitated will yield better results overall.