12 Oct 2015Working Paper Summaries

How Best-Self Activation Influences Emotions, Physiology and Employment Relationships

by Dan Cable, Jooa Julia Lee, Francesca Gino and Bradley R. Staats

Through a series of experiments, Francesca Gino and colleagues show what happens when an organization helps to activate individuals' "best selves."

Author Abstract

Best-self activation happens when individuals gain fresh input from their social network about who they are when they are making their maximum contribution. Most societies and organizations have not created ways of reminding people who they are when they are at their best, even though theory suggests that this information can inspire them to achieve more of their potential. In this paper, two lab experiments and a field experiment showed positive change in individuals’ physiology, creative problem solving, performance under pressure, and social relationships, especially when the stories were reflected back to them by others in their social network.