Creativity and envy

Charlie Munger is the quieter and less known partner of Warren Buffet. He passed last year at 99, 34 days shy of his 100th birthday. Warren Buffett said, “Berkshire Hathaway could not have been built to its present status without Charlie’s inspiration, wisdom, and participation.” Newspaper articles and magazine materials, both online and offline, began featuring the quotes and thoughts of Charlie Munger. Here are some quotes attributed to Munger:

• “Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Systematically, you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. Nevertheless, you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts. Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day. At the end of the day – if you live long enough – most people get what they deserve.”

• “I see people rise in life who are not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent, but they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than they were when they got up, and boy, does that help.”

Munger can be both feisty and naughty at times. He says:

• “I want to think about things where I have an advantage over others. I don’t want to play a game where people have an advantage over me. I don’t play in a game where other people are wise and I am stupid. I look for a game where I am wise, and they are stupid. And believe me, it works better. God bless our stupid competitors. They make us rich.”

• “The world is not driven by greed. It’s driven by envy. I have conquered envy in my own life. I don’t envy anybody. I don’t give a damn what someone else has. But other people are driven crazy by it.”

• “Envy is a really stupid sin because it’s the only one you could never possibly have any fun at. There’s a lot of pain and no fun.”

These quotes and thoughts, especially Munger’s remark on envy, got me thinking a lot. A recent study by the UBC Sauder School of Business reveals that a reputation for creativity might make standout employees vulnerable to the envy of their bosses. The study, conducted at a leading Chinese automobile company specializing in electric and commercial vehicles, involved over 500 workers and supervisors in high-tech areas such as automation and battery engineering.

The study sought to investigate how supervisors and their creatively inclined subordinates interact to discern envy’s influence on workplace dynamics.

Supervisors were asked to assess their employees’ reputation for creativity, gauging factors such as whether others sought their innovative ideas. Simultaneously, supervisors rated their confidence in their creativity and expressed envy toward their creative subordinates. The study differentiated between malicious envy, where supervisors harbored negative intentions, and benign envy, characterized by a desire for self-improvement.

The results revealed a significant correlation between supervisors’ levels of envy and their employees’ reputation for creativity. Supervisors with low confidence in their creativity were more prone to experience malicious envy, while those with confidence were likelier to experience benign envy. Lingtao Yu, Assistant Professor at UBC Sauder, notes that when supervisors believe in their creativity, they tend to exhibit self-improvement behaviors. They are more likely to seek advice from creatively reputed employees, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment. However, supervisors who lack confidence in their creative abilities may perceive creative employees as threats, leading to dysfunctional behaviors.

The study “Outshined by Creative Stars: A Dual-Pathway Model of Leader Reactions to Employees’ Reputation for Creativity” distinguishes between inherently creative employees and those who have gained a reputation for creativity. Interestingly, the latter category becomes a focal point for supervisor envy.

The findings of this study gain significance in the context of the modern emphasis on promoting creativity within businesses, particularly in high-tech industries. Lingtao Yu suggests that business leaders should adopt a balanced perspective on creativity, recognizing its importance while being aware of its potential impact on organizational and interpersonal relationships. Supervisors, the study suggests, should understand their ingrained biases and perceive a reputation for creativity as an opportunity rather than a threat. Actively approaching creatively reputed employees for ideas can contribute to their leadership success but also to the overall success of the team. As businesses prioritize creativity in the workplace, understanding and managing the dynamics of envy becomes crucial for fostering a collaborative and innovative organizational culture.

Munger was right, after all. Envy is stupid!

(Francis Kong’s podcast “Inspiring Excellence” is now available on Spotify, Apple, Google, or other podcast streaming platforms.)