ENVY AT WORK

ARTICLE REVIEW
Made By :Shalini(46)
Ranjit Paul(47)
Prithvi Ahluwalia(48)
Lavanya Awasthi(49)
Atul Bhardwaj(50)
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Contents

Introduction
Causes
Expressions
A Tale of Two Colleagues
Damaging Side Effects
An Interesting Inference
Stopping Downward Spiral
How to manage Envy in Team
Conclusions

Introduction

Envy is defined as the distress that people feel

when others get what they want.
If left unchecked , this deadly sin can sabotage any
companys performance and our OWN.

Universal
Vulnerable at each level
Intensifies at the time of Economic Crisis
Preventive
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Causes :
Dissatisfaction
Comparison to Others
Low Self Esteem

Expressions :

Resentment towards others

Competition in relationships
Depression
Verbal criticism of others

Envy also damages relationships, disrupts team and

undermines organizational performance. Most of all
it harms the one who feels it.
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A Tale Of Two Colleagues

Marty and Scott are two employees in an elite
consulting firm.
Both were good friends, inspired and balanced each
other and were inseparable.

ENVY

Marty made Scott his rival and grew disengaged from

the organisation.
Once considered as a Superstar, Marty, now lacked
passion and performed poorly.
Distanced himself from his team-mates.
Refused to mentor younger analysts.
Personal and Professional relationship got spoiled.
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Damaging Side Effects

Disparagement : When people have qualities we

envy but cannot easily acquire, we tend to ignore
those qualities and treat them as worthless.
We feel better by belittling the achievements or
qualities of the person we envy.
Distancing : People tend to distance themselves
from person they envy. It is difficult for enviers to
learn from and work with others.
The experience becomes more intense with people
who are close to them. This leads to missed
opportunities and organizational inefficiency.
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An Interesting Inference

People want to learn more about ideas that come

from other external sources rather than ideas
that originate with rivals from within the
organisation.
Reason :
When we copy idea from an outsider, were seen as
Enterprising and when we borrow an idea from
a colleague, we mark that person as an
intellectual leader.

DIFFERENT
COMPANIES

Fresh Choice managers initially desire the inventive

menus and lively decor and atmosphere of their
competitor Zoopa
Zoopa managers were considered as bright, creative
and energetic by Fresh Choice managers.
After acquiring Zoopa ,
Fresh Choice managers started feeling threatened, and
began to criticize their Zoopa peers.
Zoopa managers are now being considered as burn
out and sloppy.
Fresh Choice managers resisted learning from Zoopa
managers.
Most of the Zoopa managers left the company.

Stopping the Downward Spiral

German word Schadenfreude : delighting in others
misery has been included in English dictionary
Whereas,
Pali word Mudita : rejoicing in the good fortune of
others has not been included.

To lay down the ground work of Mudita :

Step 1 : Understanding Envy

Identify the reason why you are feeling envious

Think about how Envy harms you :

Takes your time

Consumes Thought
Creates Negativity

Write your feelings in a Journal

Talk to your friends and colleagues about your feelings.

 Step 2 : Turning Envy into something positive

Stop Judging Yourself Harshly.
Turn Your Envy into Appreciation.
Use Your Envy to Generate a Goal.

Step 3 : Avoid Comparison

Realize that you dont know the whole story.
Others success Doesnt Impact Yours.
Step 4 : Focus on Yourself
Focus on your talents and assets.
Change what You can and accept what you cant.
Spend Time With Grateful People.
Start a Gratitude Journal.
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Remind Yourself That You are in Control.

How to manage Envy in Team

Share Power :
By sharing the glory with subordinates
and rewarding them with responsibility
and credit helps in developing
motivated future leaders and also
promotion for building up others.

Make what is scarce plentiful :

Giving time to each of the team member for
discussing results in more collaborative meetings. Also
sharing resources with other teams will also help tame
down envy in an organization.
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 Give enviers and their targets different

spheres of influence :

It will allow two men to learn from

each other, their work will not be

directly comparable. They can not
be evaluated using the same metrics.

Beware of Linguistic Triggers :

Praising someone too much is not right. Instead of
singling out innovators, encourage collaborative
practices and reward creative thievery.
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Conclusion

Envy can cause real damage both to your career

and to organizations success.
Denying and concealing envy will make the
problem worse.
It can be controlled.

By confronting your feelings and replacing negative

habits of thinking with more productive ones,
you will become more open to others, more
receptive to change and more fulfilled at work.
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THANK YOU !

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