The right kind of passion drives innovation, but the wrong kind can stifle progress

Every organization aims to employ and foster the continued development of passionate professionals who are dedicated to their craft, but did you know that passion isn’t always a plus? 

Interesting new research conducted at the University of Maryland reports there are two distinct varieties of passion in the workplace. While one helps projects and new ideas get off the ground in a hurry, the other is largely detrimental to innovation and accomplishing meaningful teamwork. Read on to learn more.

Too much passion poses a business innovation problem 

Passion is usually seen as a positive among teammates, but study authors explain dedication and persistence become a problem once such behaviors begin to border on obsession. Ideally, everyone should care about their job and what they do, but passion should never stand in the way of flexibility.

The study, recently published in the scientific journal Personnel Psychology, focused on passion within the context of team-based work projects. Researchers explain they chose this approach because innovation and creativity often strike during collaborative professional efforts. 

“Innovation is not just about persistence or grit,” says study co-author Hui Liao of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in a university release. “It’s also important for teams to be able to reconsider and adjust their approaches as needed. That’s where obsessive passion can become a barrier for team innovation—it prevents reflection and flexibility.”

Harmonious Passion versus Obsessive Passion

In all, researchers assessed the impact of passion across over 280 work teams. Along the way, a number of distinct differences emerged separating obsessive passion from harmonious passion regarding a team’s capacity to reflect, adapt, and ultimately, innovate. 

“You’d think the more nonstop and engaged team members are when working on a project, the better,” Liao explains. “But our research shows that teams benefit from pausing to reflect on their progress and reconsider their strategies from time to time.”

Putting together a plan ahead of time is always a great idea, but ambitious projects and game-changing innovations often call for adjustments on the fly. A team’s capacity to stop, reflect, and discuss how best to move forward is essential to success. Researchers call this ability a team’s reflexivity. 

“Obsessively passionate team members feel a compulsion to keep pushing forward, often at the expense of flexibility,” Liao adds. “The urge is so strong that they find it difficult to stop, which limits their ability to reflect.”

On the other hand, harmonious passion is much better for promoting team innovation. Professionals with harmonious passion are still genuinely excited about an idea, but can also control and better balance that passion with other goals and activities. 

“Team members with harmonious passion know when to engage and when to step back and rethink,” Liao continues. “This balance fosters a positive environment for team reflexivity and, ultimately, greater innovation.”

How to promote the right type of professional passion

How can upper management promote passion in the workplace while also avoiding obsession? Here are a few suggestions:

• Form balanced teams: Managers should do their best to balance out teams from a passion perspective. If certain employees display obsessive tendencies, be sure to pair them with others who have a more harmonious approach. It’s crucial to realize that obsessiveness isn’t all bad; researchers maintain obsessive team members potentially bring important value to the proverbial table (technical expertise, strong connections). That being said, every team also needs more flexible members who are open to new ideas.

• Don’t ignore obsessive behaviors: Effective leaders observe their teams in action and address obsessive behaviors as they emerge. In many instances, people aren’t conscious of their own tendencies and correct course quickly if made aware of the problem behavior.

• Promote reflection: Managers and bosses of all kinds ought to organize regular opportunities for team members to reflect on their activities and efforts. Fostering a safe environment in which people feel comfortable expressing their opinions, disagreeing, or proposing new ideas can boost an organization’s reflexivity tremendously.