Pygmalion goes to work : the effects of supervisor expectations in a retail setting

Abstract

This research investigated the extent to which the Pygmalion effect, long studied in education, occurs in a work organization. The study was designed to investigate the relationship between a supervisor's expectations of a subordinate and the resulting subordinate performance. It was also designed to examine how that Pygmalion process occurs in a work environment. The longitudinal study took place over a three-month period and used an experimental design. The study was set in two new department stores opened in a southwestern state by a major Southwest retail chain. The sample included 259 salaried sales employees working under 20 sales managers. The results of the study revealed little evidence of the Pygmalion effect in the overall sample. However, significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups on two of the performance variables of male employees. In addition, while no significant statistical main effects were found, the predicted pattern of all 13 dependent variables among full-time employees suggests that the Pygmalion effect may have been more operative among full-time employees than among part-time employees.