THE SURPRISING POWER OF PEER INFLUENCE AND FRIENDLY PRESSURE

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THE SURPRISING POWER OF PEER INFLUENCE AND FRIENDLY PRESSURE

ABOUT TRIBEHR TribeHR helps companies achieve greatness by being the world’s first Social HR Platform. The first to connect people, values, goals and results. The first to connect employees to managers and teams to each other. The first to create an HR platform that helps leaders truly engage employees to the mis-sion and values of the organization, and creates engagement by helping cele-brate successes in all parts of the organization. It does this with software that is a joy to use, delivers insights without the social media noise, and elim-inates the usual drudgery of HR administration – so there’s more time to focus on what’s important. Copyright © 2012 by TribeHR Corp. All rights reserved. First Published March 2012 http://www.tribehr.com

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COPING WITH RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

Resistance to change, as every Human Resource Manager and CEO knows, is human nature. When implementing any type of project or new workflow, HR departments and man-agement in every company have the challenge of convincing and inspiring their teams to accept the project quickly and enthusi-astically.

Peer pressure is frequently cited for its negative connota-tions, but there’s a growing body of research, which indicates that peer pressure can actually foster many positive changes. Can friendly peer pressure be harnessed to help managers and HR departments effect change and achieve company goals?

HR departments and managers are often inundated with paperwork: from the hiring process, to vacation and sick leave schedules, to employee appraisal. Automated processes can greatly reduce this paper flow, freeing up time for high-level staff to work on business strat-egy and manage more effective-ly.

Today’s employees are connected well beyond the of-fice. Social media and mobile technology make it easier for complaints and gossip to spread rapidly across an organ-ization. Fortunately, this threat comes with a positive flip-side. Happiness is also contagious, and it can spread across a busi-ness just as quickly! Astute managers can leverage the up-side of positive pressure to promote the adoption of new processes and new technolo-gies.

Corporate culture is at

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the heart of this process. People who can enthusiastically em-brace and help to implement change are of tremendous value to any organization. Positive reinforcement, active listening, pro-gressive adoption, and effective training are vital to the opera-tions of any company. So how do we capture that atmosphere in the workplace?

A study conducted by KEAS.com to identify ways to im-prove health and reduce health care costs in the workplace found that a sense of play is essential to encouraging employees to participate in a healthcare initiative1. An initiative that was staged like a game saw an increase in employee participation in a program. The use of small teams, individual goal setting, and competition with colleagues greatly increased participation. Providing incentives in the form of rewards for accomplish-ments was also helpful, leading to increased engagement and more healthy employee behavior.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FREQUENCY

Another interesting study conducted on MovieLens users reported that the use of simple email messages as motivation for users was not as effective as interpersonal communications2. Although MovieLens users identified that a key factor in sub-mitting movie ratings was how “fun” it was, simply sending an email stating that it was fun to participate was not sufficient to cause action. But the proper implementation of friendly pres-sure through social media tools can change that dynamic. In the MovieLens study, highlighting key metrics to compare user contribution against their peers resulted in a significantly in-crease participation rate.

Frequent professional feedback can be built into the workplace with the use of internal HR social technologies. A study conducted at IBM discovered that social networking in 1 keas.com (2011). “When employees play for health, the numbers get seri-

ous.” Experience the power of play: San Francisco. 2 Ling, K. et. al. (2005). “Using Social Psychology to Motivate Contributions

to Online Communities.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 10(4), np.

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the office environment led to stronger bonds between employ-ees, and a more rapid integration of new employees into the workforce3.

The IBM Beehive research program found that social net-working motivates employees to connect on a more personal level with their co-workers. The goal of the site was to allow personnel to express themselves on personal and professional levels. It succeeded in garnering participation from all of the workforce, including managers, engineers, IT workers, and con-sultants. The workforce as a whole became stronger and more cohesive as employees discovered similarities between their per-sonal and professional interests and accomplishments.

The widespread participation in the Beehive office net-working project gave IBM employees the ability to advance their careers within the company, and to increase peer partici-pation in their individual projects. Friendly messages allowed employees to make personal and business connections that wouldn’t have been possible without the social HR technology.

Beehive included a commenting feature, which allowed employees to comment on fellow employees’ content, such as profiles, goals, or interests. According to the researchers; lasting friendships were struck, both inside and outside of the compa-ny, as overall social networks grew with the technology.

The commenting feature also enabled employees to main-tain or improve their relationship with upper management. One participant commented:

“Beehive is a way to have people know something about you, maybe remember something about you. In a company with 300,000 people, it’s easy to get lost. If you want to advance, people need to know something about you. Obviously you gotta do your job and your manager has to agree you do a good job to advance, but it’s all about networking. You never know where your next job will come from, and the more people you can connect with, the bigger the set of opportunities.”

3 DiMicco, J. et. al. (2008). “Motivations for Social Networking at Work.”

ACM, IBM Research: Cambridge, MA.

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The study identified the mechanisms each type of user used to communicate with the rest of the organization. Partici-pants were categorized as “caring,” “climbing,” or “campaign-ing.” Caring users shared hobbies, personal interests, life, and state of mind through photos and comments. Climbing users focused on their skills and background, reflected on their pro-ject work, and used status messages to emphasize their current work responsibilities. Campaigning users shared their thoughts on different professional topics, described their projects, and solicited feedback from other users.

With HR guidance, the network allowed IBM to identify the composition, characters, and preferred communication strategies of their workforce as a whole. It allowed employees to discover and connect with previously unknown colleagues, which was found to be a highly motivating factor for participa-tion in the network. It also became a valuable tool for employ-ees to promote and exchange goals, information, and feedback about their projects.

THE INS & OUTS OF DRIVING ADOPTION

Since today’s workforce uses social software outside of the workplace, incorporating it into the work environment is an ob-vious and powerful step in engagement. As a common unifying force, it can also serve to bridge generation gaps between em-ployees. Technology that allows management to deepen their knowledge and understanding of their team also eases the de-velopment of future programs and incentives.

The personal and social benefits of community are a pow-erful motivator for staff to participate in company HR pro-grams. A recent social media study conducted at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories found that peer participation in the form of feedback—even anonymous feedback or negative feedback—was highly correlated with subsequent user participation in the project4. Out of 130,000 documents and 50,000 clicks on inter- 4 Brzozowski, M.J., Sandholm, T., & Hogg, T. (2009). “Effects of Feedback

and Peer Pressure on Contributions to Enterprise Social Media.” ACM Hewlett-Packard Laboratories: Palo Alto, CA.

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nal social media sites, 85% of all comments and 69% of all clicks between users occurred within one week of the original posted messages. The comments, rather than the clicks, were the greatest predictor of future contributions to the program.

Positive reinforcement was tracked in this study through employee IDs, country of origin, location and department. This

data enabled the re-searchers to show that social media in the work-place environment allows employees to engage and interact with more di-verse components of the company, both hierarchi-cally and geographically. A savvy human resource manager can leverage this information to promote and motivate contribu-tions and connections across the company.

Clearly social media can impact engagement and connectivity across organizations, but how does peer influence and

friendly pressure impact a person’s direct workgroup? The same study found that peer feedback was a strong motivator for fur-ther participation in the program. Judicious, supportive com-ments by managers go a long way toward engaging employees. Regular manager feedback is a key motivator for employees and can be harnessed for more effective performance appraisals and goal-setting.

Goal-setting platforms have been used in the workplace to encourage the use of goal-setting in a competitive manner with fellow employees5. In the 1960s, Professor Robert Zajonc pro-

5 Moore, B. (30 Sept 2011). Peer Pressure in the Workplace can do Wonders.

The Modern Worker. Retrieved from

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posed that humans possess a unique 'drive theory' when in the spotlight. He argued that when other people are watching us, we become more alert and excited, which fires up what he called our “dominant response.” Dominant responses include well-practiced skills or particular habits. If a dominant response fits with the situation then our performance is enhanced, but if the dominant response is inappropriate, then we tend to perform poorly6. Used in the workplace, social HR programs may help encourage effective dominant response mechanisms and healthy peer competition, and can be leveraged by HR and management to achieve company goals. Social technology allows people to maximize their effective responses and minimize their inappro-priate ones. Furthermore, automation and less paperwork the amount effort required, creating an easy platform to set, share and achieve goals.

HOW FAR CAN IT GO?

Jesse Hirsh, a broadcaster, researcher and internet expert based out of Toronto, Canada, believes that our very form of governance may be changed by the pressures of peer-influenced social media7. According to Hirsh, peer pressure on social media platforms has caused some negative behaviors to escalate, par-ticularly among immature age groups. The speed of the internet combined with peer pressure to be part of a community has in-creased some cases of bullying, cheating and illegal file sharing. While this is a sad learning experience for younger age groups, the prevalence of group governance behavior, if it continues in-to adulthood, could indicate a future necessity for governance

http://getworksimple.com/blog/2011/09/30/peer-pressure-in-the-workplace-can-do-wonders

6 PsyBlog (2009). “Social Facilitation: How and When Audiences Improve Performance.” Retrieved from http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/06/social-facilitation-how-and-when-audiences-improve-performance.php

7 Hirsh, J. (2006). “Changing Technology Changes society: How the Amplifi-cation of Peer Pressure Challenges the Rule of Law.” Viewpoints: Policy Alternatives. Retrieved from http://ww.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/Our_Schools_Ourselve/4_Viewpoints.pdf

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reform.

Peer pressure social interactions may actually force companies, and so-ciety, to revise cur-rent forms of gov-ernance into more social ones. For ex-ample, CashMobs use social network-ing tools to drive potential customers to local businesses8. Organizers use Fa-cebook and Twitter to notify partici-pants then chose a local small business (preferably one that has demonstrated giving back to the community). On the day of the event, participants gather to spend some cash at the predeter-mined location. In a time where many small, local businesses are struggling, victims of a fallen economy, the concept is a financial relief, serving to bring communities together.

Positive peer influences initiated by respected peers can channel dialogues in appropriate directions. They can change negative dynamics of rumor and prejudice to more socially ac-ceptable responses. The ability to influence employees is in the hands of company and human resource managers. Ignoring that role, and the implications of that role, can be detrimental to our evolving society.

8 Fortin, J. (2010). “Cash Mobs: How to Support Your Favorite Local Busi-

nesses, Anywhere Around the World” International Business Times. Re-trieved from http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/303841/20120223/cash-mob-small-business-grassroots.htm

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Crawford Kilian, a teacher at Capilano University in Van-couver, Canada, recommends ed-ucators and those in authority embrace web technology in the same way that students and inno-vative business managers have9. He notes that many elements of today’s society have no memory of or experience with the pre-web world. Today’s youngest genera-tions are more familiar with working cooperatively via the in-ternet, quickly accessing infor-mation, and rapidly refining pro-cesses. Understanding and using the automatic functions of vari-ous technologies is essential to

the immediate and future management of business structures and strategies. Collaboration between employees can only in-crease company cooperation.

APPLYING PEER INFLUENCE AT WORK

Enough research has been conducted to indicate that the positive aspects of peer influence and friendly pressure can and should be harnessed by human resource managers. Prudent man-agement needs to take into consideration the nature and timing of employee interactions, in order to positively influence work-force output.

A study conducted at the University of Cologne in Ger-many investigated the dynamics of peer pressure in teams, and the effects of that peer pressure on work output10. They found

9 Kilian, C. (27 Feb 2008). The New Online Omnivores, TheTyee.ca. 10 Mohnen, A., Pokorny, K., & Sliwka, D. (2008). “Transparency, Inequity

Aversion, and the Dynamics of Peer Presure in Teams: Theory and Evidence.” IZA Discussion Paper No. 3281.

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that the tendency of some employees to over-rely on their co-workers for completing projects can be reduced by structuring information and communications in a better and more complete manner.

In this particular study, each employee was paid based on the total group output. The results showed that employees con-sistently increase their work output when team members are informed of each other’s progress and contributions to the team effort. “Free-riders” are less likely to depend on their colleagues if their contributions—or lack thereof—are shared at regular intervals.

This finding reflects previous findings that employees working in the same room together actually work harder than when they work alone. Friendly pressure in the workplace has the beneficial effect of increasing productivity and individual accomplishments. Not only does peer influence increase indi-vidual output, but it increases team efforts too.

Strategic human resource managers know that they must use all tools at their disposal to improve the productivity of their people, their departments, and their companies. Social HR platforms that leverage today’s advanced technologies will help HR managers gain insights into the psychology of the evolving workforce. Subsequently, human resource managers are better equipped to reach and exceed their own goals, those of fellow employees, and their companies. Human resource managers wanting to achieve relevant and positive impact on today’s workforce will use the positive aspects of peer pressure dynam-ics to encourage their employees to reach the personal and pro-fessional heights of success.

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