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.
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