It’s widely accepted that the modern employee spends an increasingly short period of time at any particular employer. As such, it’s possible that people you previously regarded as colleagues become rivals should you move on to pastures new.
A recent study explores how this can impact upon the motivation levels of that individual when they enter their new team. The study found that motivation tends to be high, just so long as an employee isn’t placed into direct competition with a previous colleague.
Exploring the playing field
The researchers decided to test the performances of ice hockey players from the NHL to see how players performed against former sides. Despite the unique nature of the competitive environment, the authors are confident it has crossover appeal.
“We believe that our results are translatable to other spheres, in particular to knowledge-based industries such as advertising agencies, consulting services and architectural practices, whose employees tend to identify closely with their firm and have a direct impact on firm performance,” the authors say.
The study found that an employees level of identity with their employer rises the longer they work there. As such, it’s difficult for such a strong attachment to simply transfer over to a new employer.
In those early days at your new company however, the analysis suggests you’re more likely to put extra effort in in order to make your mark, especially if this is in opposition to the organization you just left.
Competition for talent
With competition for talent often intense, this kind of free movement of people within an industry is increasingly common, with new hires often bringing both expertise and long-established contacts with them.
Alas, this is often only skin deep, as evidenced by the difficulties we have in directly competing against previous colleagues with whom we had built a strong relationship.
“It has less to do with qualms of conscience than with their identification with their former peers. The calculation apparently goes like this: ‘It won’t damage the fortunes of my new firm if I leave my ex-colleagues out of the firing line, as long as I am aggressive in relation to members of my old firm whom I do not know as well,'” the authors say.
As such, the authors suggest that it might be better to recruit entire teams rather than specific individuals. If you have to go with individuals, it might be considering whether you can avoid pitting them against former colleagues.
At least this is the case in the early stages, for this identification with our former colleagues does understandably weaken over time. It provides an interesting contrast to the established thinking that we think the same about an organization as we do its employees.
“Our study shows that this is not true for someone who has switched jobs. In that case, one’s collective identification with the old firm gradually weakens, while one’s relational identification with former colleagues in the old firm actually gets stronger with time,” the authors contend.
