Curbing, Not Rewarding, Jerk Behaviors on the Job

13 Pages Posted: 9 May 2018

See all articles by Dejun Kong

Dejun Kong

University of Houston

Betsy Gelb

University of Houston - C.T. Bauer College of Business

Date Written: May 1, 2018

Abstract

Are more "jerk" behaviors on the part of employees associated with more promotions for those same employees? Yes, says a study of business school alumni. However, almost all employees exhibit such behaviors at some time, making it more astute for managers to reduce those activities organization-wide instead of trying to identify those who exhibit them. To accomplish that task, possibilities include education, ranging from Webinars to a management book club with a discussion of how to apply what the books recommend, but especially C-level modeling of helpful rather than jerk behaviors, and reconsidering reward structures that lead to internal competition.

Keywords: Organizational Behavior, Bad Behavior, Jerk Behavior, Education, Reward Structure

Suggested Citation

Kong, Dejun and Gelb, Betsy, Curbing, Not Rewarding, Jerk Behaviors on the Job (May 1, 2018). Rutgers Business Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2018, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3176021

Dejun Kong (Contact Author)

University of Houston ( email )

4800 Calhoun Road
Houston, TX 77204
United States

Betsy Gelb

University of Houston - C.T. Bauer College of Business ( email )

Houston, TX 77204-6021
United States
713-743-4558 (Phone)
713-743-4572 (Fax)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
57
Abstract Views
390
Rank
659,215
PlumX Metrics