14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new scientific study released by researchers at the Tel Aviv University, in Israel, it may be that it's not the latest computation technology, or the best equipment that dictate the success of a company and the productivity of its employees, but rather the workers' faith in the technical resources they have at their disposal. Offices that only have limited resources could still perform at high standards, provided, of course, that their field of activity does not necessarily imply having the latest generation of computers, software or other hardware.
“If employees believe they have competent managers supporting them, excellent equipment in their hands, and helpful staff to work with, their performance at work will be energized,” the leading management specialist, Professor Dov Eden, who holds an appointment at the university's Faculty of Management, explains the results of the study. Professors Yoav Ganzach, Rachel Flumin-Granat and Tal Zigman, all from the Faculty, have also contributed to the research. Eden has been involved in studies related to expectations and performance at the workplace for more than 30 years.
For its new experiments, the science team selected about 240 physics students, which it then divided into two groups. Both had access to a Web page, which was designed especially for the study, and that looked the same for all students. One of the groups was told that the site would be instrumental in its learning for the semester, and that the data contained there would be useful enough to bring it large grades. The control group was not told this. In the end, after the exams, the students in the first group outperformed their peers by an average of five points on a 100-point scale.
“Our emphasis on the superiority of the accompanying course Web site got students to believe in it and expect that it would work for them. By believing in the tools more, they used the tools more often and performed better in the course itself,” Eden argues. The expert also adds that managers play an instrumental role in boosting employees' faith in their tools.
“It was well documented with the M16 rifle in the Vietnam War. If the M16 fails a soldier and the other soldiers in the unit find out about it, commanders see high rates of demoralization and poor combat performance in that unit. While offices and factories aren't exactly war zones, we've learned from this new study that the faith individuals have in their tools may be just as important as the tools themselves,” the expert concludes.