Do you feel a lack of passion in life or work? The team lacks vitality and efficiency stagnates? You may need a ' catfish '!
Don't get me wrong, we're not talking about seafood, but a powerful and interesting rule of psychology and management - the catfish effect .
This article will deeply analyze the catfish effect , from principles to application cases , from psychological mechanisms to management practices, help you understand how to use it to stimulate team vitality and distinguish the essential difference between it and 'involvement'.
The origin and core principles of the catfish effect
Long ago, Norwegian fishermen discovered that sardines would die soon after they were caught. But during the long transportation process, if the sardines can be kept alive, the price will be greatly increased.
After repeated trial and error, the fishermen found a wonderful way: put a catfish that is active in a trough filled with sardines.
Surprisingly, when sardines feel pressure from the 'strange threat', they will continue to swim because they dodge catfish , thus maintaining their vigorous vitality and greatly increasing their survival rate.
The core idea of this story is the catfish effect : in a relatively stable and competitive environment, by introducing an external 'challenger' ( catfish ) to activate the crisis awareness of internal members, thereby stimulating overall vitality and creativity.
In-depth analysis of catfish effect
Why is the catfish effect so effective? From the perspective of different disciplines:
- Psychological Perspective: It inspires our inner motivation and social comparative psychology. When we see an outstanding 'catfish', we will unconsciously compare, creating a positive driving force that will drive us to catch up.
- Economic Perspective: It can be seen as the embodiment of a perfectly competitive market at the micro level. In an environment without competition, individuals are prone to becoming comfortable and inefficient; the emergence of 'catfish' breaks this 'monopoly' state, forcing all participants to improve efficiency, thereby maximizing overall output.
- Biological Perspective: From an ecological perspective, the relationship between predator and prey is also a manifestation of the catfish effect . The existence of predators keeps the prey group alert and eliminates the weak, thus maintaining the health of the entire ecosystem.
From a psychological perspective, it mainly touches on the following key points:
- Motivational Psychology: The emergence of catfish breaks the original 'comfort zone' and forces individuals to reassess their situation. This external stimulus translates into an intrinsic motivation for survival , prompting sardines (individuals) to continue to work hard to survive. This motivation can be an escape motivation (to avoid being eaten) or an approach motivation (to keep alive and get better results).
- Social Comparison: When a well-performing 'catfish' appears in a team, other members will unconsciously compare themselves to it. This kind of social comparative psychology, especially when the comparative objects have outstanding abilities, will create a positive driving force that prompts us to catch up and narrow the gap. This is an upward comparison that can inspire individual fighting spirit and desire to learn.
- Crisis Awareness and Stress Management: Moderate stress can stimulate potential and improve performance. The catfish effect introduces this kind of benign pressure . It allows individuals to feel a sense of crisis of 'no advance, no retreat', thereby concentrating and improving efficiency. This is consistent with the 'Yerkes-Dodson Law ' in psychology, that is, moderate stress can lead to optimal work efficiency.
Practical management application and classic cases of catfish effect
There are many cases of application of catfish effect in management. Here are a few practical guides for reference:
1. In the workplace:
As a manager: making good use of the catfish effect can effectively solve the problems of inefficiency in the team and employees being content with the status quo. But remember that choosing the right ' catfish ' is crucial. For example, after Jobs returned, Apple introduced a large number of external talents, subverted the old culture within the company, and eventually created disruptive products such as iPhones.
As an employee: take the initiative to find your own ' catfish '. This person can be an excellent colleague or a role model in the industry. Treat them as their 'imaginary enemies', constantly learn from them, challenge yourself, and you can continue to make progress.
2. In personal growth:
Break out of your comfort zone: If you feel that your life is unchanging, you might as well take the initiative to create a ' catfish ' for yourself. For example, participate in a difficult skill training, join an elite community, or challenge a brand new sport. When you are in an environment with many experts, you will naturally be inspired to fight.
Self-driven: Excellent ' catfish ' can not only inspire others, but also drive themselves. Try to set higher goals and set 'imaginary enemies' for yourself. This self-competition will keep you passionate.
Is the catfish effect a 'incoil'?
In recent years, the term ' involved ' has become popular, which describes the incessant 'war of attrition' caused by excessive competition. This made many people begin to reflect: What is the difference between catfish effect and incline ?
In essence, catfish effect and incantation are two completely different phenomena.
- The catfish effect is designed to improve efficiency and create incremental growth . Its goal is to break the old balance and create new and greater value to benefit all participants.
- Involuntary is an ineffective competition . It is carried out in the stock market and consumes resources through meaningless efforts, which ultimately leads to the returns of everyone becoming zero or even negative.
How to distinguish healthy 'catfish' from 'incoil'?
It depends on the way and purpose of the 'catfish'.
- Healthy 'catfish' : It brings new ideas, new methods and new technologies, and can help the team achieve a qualitative leap through its own outstanding abilities. This competition is healthy because it creates new possibilities.
- 'Involved' 'catfish' : If the appearance of 'catfish' is just to make everyone work overtime unnecessary, or to create workload through some unnecessary processes, then this competition is involuntary . It consumes everyone's energy without bringing any substantial value growth.
So, the key to the problem is not the 'catfish' itself, but how you use it. A good manager knows how to create a healthy competitive environment while introducing the catfish effect , so that everyone's efforts will point to creating value rather than unnecessary consumption.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Catfish Effect
Q: Is the catfish effect only effective in the workplace?
No, the catfish effect exists in education, personal growth, and even family relationships. For example, an excellent child can inspire other siblings to compete; a parent with a wide range of hobbies can also drive a learning atmosphere for the whole family.
Q: How to judge whether a 'catfish' is suitable for my team?
There are three criteria for judging a 'catfish': first, whether he has the core abilities you need; second, whether he has a good team spirit; finally, whether he can stimulate the enthusiasm of the team through positive behavior rather than create negative emotions.
Q: What negative effects may be brought about by the catfish effect?
If used improperly, the negative effects of the catfish effect include: excessive competition, team inversion, exclusion among members, and excessive pressure on employees and burnout.
Q: What is the biggest difference between catfish effect and incline?
The catfish effect aims to create incremental value and improve efficiency by introducing healthy competition, ultimately benefiting the entire system. Involuntary competition is ineffective competition in the stock market , competing for limited resources through meaningless consumption, which ultimately leads to a reduction in everyone's returns.
Q: How to prevent other members from resistant to the introduction of 'catfish' into the team?
First of all, it is necessary to clarify the purpose of introducing 'catfish' in communication to improve the overall capabilities of the team, rather than eliminating old members. Secondly, we should provide training and support to help team members adapt to new changes, and encourage 'catfish' to share their experience and become a catalyst for the team, rather than a simple competitor.
Q: As a manager, how do you judge that the introduced 'catfish' are healthy?
A healthy 'catfish' will bring new methods and ideas , which can inspire the team's creativity and collaboration spirit , and ultimately achieve performance improvement . If the team atmosphere becomes negative after introduction, and everyone works overtime just for overtime and does not bring about substantial value growth, then you must be wary of whether it has already moved towards 'intra-revolution'.
At the end: How to make good use of catfish and avoid inclination?
To prevent the catfish effect from sliding into the inward-rolling abyss, we need to remember the following points:
- Clarify the goal: What is the purpose of introducing 'catfish'? Is it to create value, or just to create pressure?
- Focus on collaboration: Encourage mutual learning and collaboration among team members rather than simply personal competition.
- Positive incentives: Establish a fair and transparent incentive mechanism so that those who work hard can get the rewards they deserve.
Do you have 'catfish' around you? How do you view the 'catfish effect'? Welcome to share your story in the comment section! For more content on psychology effects, please continue to read the complete collection of psychology effects
Link to this article: https://m.psyctest.cn/article/bDxjYw5X/
If the original article is reprinted, please indicate the author and the source in the form of this link.
