What makes an expert? In many workplaces, the idealization of an expert employee is a maverick—an independent, autonomous individual who is not subject to best practices. This person can take a problem and solve it without input from instruction manuals or other people. However, this conceptualization of expert behavior often leads employees to engage in behaviors that are counterproductive to success.
THE “MAVERICK” IDEAL
Doing things the hard way can become part of the culture when people internalize the “maverick” ideal and begin to behave accordingly. Take, for example, procrastination. The ability to start a project at the last minute and complete it successfully takes an expert. However, procrastination hurts productivity when workers submit poor or incomplete work due to rushing. As another example, working in collaborative teams may be seen by those who ascribe to the “maverick” ideal as a waste of time, particularly when individual contributions are not seen as important. However, teamwork often leads to better solutions and outcomes.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This research supports the assertion that in the workplace, the expert may not be the best employee. Instead, a worker who has the ability to collaborate effectively with others and follow instructions and deadlines may be the stronger player. Employers should attempt to create a culture that appreciates employees who engage in productive behavior. However, in many cases they will have to do so amid romanticized ideals about the mavericks that paved the way for the organization’s success.
Leonardi, P. M., Jackson, M. H., & Diwan, A. (2009). The enactment-externalization dialectic: Rationalization and the persistence of counterproductive technology design practices in student engineering. Academy of Management Journal, 52, 400-420.
Image credit: Unsplash+