GovExec Daily: How to Best Apply Performance Pressure

Even in a time of pandemic-related stresses, organizations are increasingly interested in getting maximum performance out of employees. While some employees rise to the challenge of managers’ high expectations, other staffers may underperform or worse. What is the level of performance pressure that managers can use to get the best out of the workforce?

Dr. Marie S. Mitchell is a professor of Management and I. W. Cousins Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. She’s the lead author of the Academy of Management Journal paper titled "Can You Handle the Pressure? The Effect Of Performance Pressure on Stress Appraisals, Self-Regulation, and Behavior.” She joined the podcast to discuss performance management and how managers can use pressure positively in the workplace.