It's the season to be thankful, even to your boss, according to a recent University of Central Florida study that suggests that when supervisors feel valued, it gives them a boost of energy and optimism. That is ultimately good for the employees and the operating result.
“Based on a theory, we knew that feeling that someone was valued by someone else is a strong signal that you are considered positive, and feelings of positive appreciation evoke a sense of strength or high energy,” said Maureen Ambrose, the Gordon J. Barnett Professor of Business Ethics and a UCF Pegasus Professor. “This is important because research shows that when people have more resources, in this case energy, they are better able to maintain a positive outlook and exhibit positive behavior at work. We know when supervisors have feelings of exhaustion – or low energy – negative things happen. For example, if bosses are low on energy, they oversee more abused supervision, creating worse workplaces for their employees.”
Ambrose collaborated with Clemson professor and UCF alumna Susan Sheridan to explore feelings of appreciation and emotional expression in the workplace. Research in this area has generally focused solely on the downward influence of executives on their employees.
“Our research also found that employee feelings of appreciation through energy had a positive relationship with the psychological well-being of executives. Psychological well-being can protect individuals from the negative effects of work stress,” said Ambrose.
The survey asked supervisors to respond to surveys twice a day for 10 consecutive business days. Each day, the participants recorded how much they felt valued by their subordinates, how energized they felt and how it affected them personally (feeling of optimism and life satisfaction) and professionally (job satisfaction).
“On days, supervisors felt more valued, had more energy, and this translated into higher levels of optimism, life satisfaction, job satisfaction and help,” said Sheridan, who received her PhD from UCF and is now an assistant professor of leadership. at Clemson. † “This was interesting because our profession has not linked the sense of appreciation with higher energy, and we generally look at how supervisors can boost the resources of subordinates – not the other way around.”
The study found that the external validation of feeling valued is especially powerful for those supervisors who lack a strong sense of validation from within.
Ambrose and Sheridan say they hope this research leads to a deeper investigation into the role of gratitude and appreciation in the workplace and how employees influence executives.
“Anyone who has led people knows how influential relationships with subordinates can be,” said Ambrose. “By taking this upward perspective, we can better understand supervisors' experiences at work and why they do the things they do.”
