About the project
This project brings together the bright and dark side of people management by examining to what extent, how and when people management can become too much of a good thing, exceeding optimal levels of support. We work in close collaboration with research and societal partners throughout the project.
People management
People management is a combination of line managers’ implementation of Human Resource Management (HRM) and their leadership behaviour in supporting the employees they supervise at work.
The benefits attributed to good people management particularly hold for public service organisations (e.g., organisations in the education and healthcare sectors), where people are the most important assets.
Sarah is the supervisor of a team of ten employees. An example of Sarah’s people management is that she offers her team training and development opportunities (implementation of HR practices) and supports them in work-life balance and plans regular individual meetings to talk about personal development (leadership behavior).
The contribution of people management to employee performance and well-being has gained wide recognition in research and practice. The inherent idea of the ‘happy productive worker’ represents the ‘bright side’ of people management.
However, issues, such as employee loafing and burn-out, have burst onto the agenda, particularly in the public sector, where service quality and employee well-being issues are prominent. People management is often presented as a solution for these issues – but can well-intended people management have unintended negative effects? This project brings together the bright and dark side of people management by examining to what extent, how and when people management can become too much of a good thing, exceeding optimal levels of support.
We aim to explain which factors and mechanisms contribute to unintended negative effects of well-intended support. This project breaks new ground by researching the dark side of people management in order to better understand how to deliver optimal levels of support, and testing the validity of the too-much-of-a-good-thing hypothesis.
People management: too much of a good thing?
The too-much-of-a-good thing hypothesis posits that a beneficial antecedent may lead to unexpected and undesired outcomes. For example, exercising is beneficial for one’s health. However, too much exercising can result in fatigue and injuries.
In the context of this project, well-intended people management by a manager may initially result in positive employee responses but too much well-intended people management may result in undesired employee responses.
Peter has suffered from post-COVID and is reintegrating back into his work. His line manager supports him well in this process. One day, Peter’s manager tells him: “a very interesting course for high potential employees will soon start. It takes a year and trainings are in the evening. Would you like to participate?” Peter feels flattered and happy that he is considered a high potential employee. However, he also feels guilty and stressed because he knows he has to decline the opportunity due to his reintegrating process. He is confused that his line manager did not think about this and feels that his line manager does not take his recovery seriously.
– Peter’s line managers well-intended people management did not result in a positive response by Peter but in dissatisfaction. –
The Dark Side of People Management 