Broaden & Build in the Workplace
If one were to sit down and calculate the amount of time that they spend at work, I think that they would be astonished. The workplace is an environment of incredible value. It is at the workplace that we create relationships, develop our interests, and acquire the funding to maintain our lifestyles. Given the importance of this particular place, is it not important that we make the most out of our time there? If your employees or co-workers don’t share a sentiment of excitement when it comes to work, why not create it?
The “Broaden and Build” theory was discovered by a team of positive psychologists who found that people who experience pleasant emotions in their lives also tap into more creative ways of thinking. This is an opportunity for you to not only enhance the collective performance of your team, but create a more inviting environment as well.
What is the Broaden & Build Theory?
Briefly summarized, the “Broaden and Build” theory is the ying to the yang of the results that are produced when experiencing negative emotions. When we experience stress or anxiety, which are both common negative emotions, our bodies prepare for fight-or-flight and our bodily functions immediately tend towards the preservation of life. Here’s an example. Let’s say that you forgot your lunch at home, so you needed to run by your favorite fast food chain to pick up a bite to eat. On the way back to the office, you are cut off at a traffic light and all of a sudden your body has gone into fight-or-flight survival mode. Maybe you began to lay on the horn, to alert the driver of their careless automotive behavior. You might have slammed on breaks, in an effort to prevent your car from being damaged by the other car. There are a number of options that your mind might have filtered through, in the brief time span that was presented, but there is no argument that each thought was created with the very specific purpose of removing you from the line of danger.
Now, given the scenario that was presented in regards to negative emotions, let’s think about the residual effects that occur when we experience positive emotions. In the workplace, one very powerful and important way to increase the positivity of the environment is to create an atmosphere of support. When someone is under the notion that someone believes in them, stands by them, agrees with their decisions, there is a weight that is lifted. In any endeavor that you take on, it is always comforting to know that you aren’t the only one invested in the situation, concept or idea. So, going along with the example of providing support, lets map out how the positive emotions produced from creating a supportive environment can result in a more productive work environment.
Theory in Action
Scenario: Every month you give your team of employees a project and at the end of each month they are expected to give a presentation on the information that they researched. Now, originally, you would hand out a sheet of paper with the necessary criteria and reconvene at the end of the month, but in this particular instance we’re going to utilize the Broaden and Build theory. Two times during the week, the entire team comes together to share their progress on the delegated projects. You encourage the teammates to share their ideas, frustrations, hindrances and the like. As a team, an allotted amount of time is set aside to brainstorm solutions and recommendations, to help each team member provide the best presentation that they can muster up. Once a week, each of the team members has an opportunity to speak with you, the project manager, to discuss anything that they might not have felt comfortable sharing in a large setting. And the scenario continues…
The facilitation of team work, instead of competition, incites positive emotions. No longer are people encouraged to antagonize or undermine, but instead there is an atmosphere of coalition and unity. The positive emotions elicited by the supportive environment help with the facilitation of exploratory thought and creative spontaneity. This is the position that you want your workplace to be in. The supportive nature of the office assists in the development of relationships and allows for once inhibited mindsets to be freed. These are just possible effects that positive emotions can have on the workplace. Now, just imagine if you turned it into a lifestyle.
Alexis Brightman graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Psychology and minor in Environmental Studies.
Photo Credit: flikr/Mr.Ducke