Product details

This is an enhanced edition of HBR article R0506E, originally published in June 2005. HBR OnPoint articles include the full-text HBR article plus a summary of key ideas and company examples to help you quickly absorb and apply the concepts. When looking for help with a task at work, people turn to those best able to do the job. Right? Wrong. New research shows that work partners tend to be chosen not for ability but for likeability. Drawing from their study encompassing 10,000 work relationships in five organizations, the authors have classified work partners into four archetypes: (1) the competent jerk, who knows a lot but is unpleasant; (2) the lovable fool, who doesn''t know much but is a delight; (3) the lovable star, who''s both smart and likeable; and (4) the incompetent jerk, who...well, that''s self-explanatory. Of course, everybody wants to work with the lovable star, and nobody wants to work with the incompetent jerk. More interesting is that people prefer the lovable fool over the competent jerk. That has big implications for every organization, as both of these types often represent missed opportunities. Lovable fools can bridge gaps between diverse groups that might not otherwise interact. But their networking skills are often developed at the expense of job performance, which can make these employees underappreciated and vulnerable to downsizing. To get the most out of them, managers need to protect them and put them in positions that don''t waste their bridge-building talents. As for the competent jerks, many can be socialized through coaching or by being made accountable for bad behavior.