Office Divas Are on the RiseShe embodies the phrase "prima donna." With her strong sense of entitlement and her tendency to take all of the credit for a job well done, she causes her coworkers to roll their eyes in exasperation. In fact, the only time she even acknowledges her coworkers is when she's blaming them for her mistakes. Does this description conjure up images of a certain someone? Can you identify your office's resident diva? Well, according to a study appearing in a recent issue of the Journal of Organizational Behavior, office prima donnas may be more plentiful than you think.
Examining how individuals' sense of superiority affects their lives, University of New Hampshire management professor, Paul Harvey, PhD, discovered that entitled employees are more likely to engage in workplace conflicts. What's more, these corporate prima donnas are also prone to blame coworkers for office mishaps and report low levels of job satisfaction. But, here's the kicker: It's the younger employees who seem to be leading the trend toward entitlement. And, Harvey says, the problem is only growing.
As members of Generation Y - those born between 1980 and 2000 - begin to flood the workplace, employers have reported a higher number of prima donnas. "Managers have reported a lot of problems associated with this - primarily that these employees have unrealistic expectations and a strong resistance toward accepting negative feedback," Harvey says. "Basically, entitlement involves having an inflated view of oneself, and managers are finding that younger employees are often very resistant to anything that doesn't involve praise and rewards."
As a member of Generation Y, I would like to stand up for my peers (and myself) and say that this study is biased and unfounded. Unfortunately, I can't. It's true that our parents and teachers taught us that we could be anything, do anything, and achieve anything. Dubbed the "Trophy Generation," we were groomed to believe that every accomplishment - no matter how large or small - would be rewarded with a nice, shiny trophy. And, it's easy to see how this attitude could translate into the workplace. After all, if we're taught that we could do anything, menial, day-to-day job tasks would seem, well, beneath us, right?
I learned this lesson the hard way. Just two months out of college, I felt like the world was my oyster. I was working in my chosen field and found a job only days after I began my search - no small feat. So, when I was asked by my former boss to alphabetize our contacts database - Database? I was a journalist! - I'll admit that I copped a major attitude. And, let's just say that he was less than impressed with my prima donna drama.
How can employers attempt to weed out workplace divas? Harvey recommends that managers attempt to gauge candidates' entitlement levels during the interview process. One way to do this is to ask questions directly regarding narcissism. For instance, Harvey suggests that hiring managers could pose a question such as: "Do you feel you're generally superior to your coworkers/classmates/etc. If so, why?" That way, he says, "If the candidate answers ‘yes' to the first part but struggles with the ‘why,' there may be an entitlement issue. This is because entitlement perceptions are often based on the unfounded sense of superiority and deservingness."
Do you have any prima donnas in your office? If so, how do they get along with their coworkers? Also, do you agree that members of Generation Y showcase a stronger sense of entitlement? Please share your thoughts and opinions about this study with the OfficeArrow community.