Guilt Complex May Cause Workers to Avoid Business Partnerships

Those who hate to disappoint may make for the most ethical and hard-working partners you can find in business. However, scientists have now found those who are more prone to feel guilty are also the most reticent to enter into partnerships.

Highly guilt-prone people make valuable work partners, since concern about letting others down drives them to complete at least their fair share of the work-if not more. In fact, highly guilt-prone people often outwork their less guilt-prone colleagues, demonstrate effective leadership and contribute more to the success of teams.

Yet it seems as if these same behavioral tendencies may keep these people from entering into partnerships. Scientists conducted five studies, which revealed that people who are guilt-prone may avoid forming partnerships with people they perceive as being more competent than themselves, because benefitting a partner less than the partner benefits them could trigger feelings of guilt.

"It may come as a surprise," said Scott Wiltermuth, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But our findings demonstrate that people who lack competence may not always seek out competence in others when choosing work partners."

The findings reveal that managers could potentially try to ensure that highly guilt-prone people are the ones to create partnerships and even assume leadership roles on teams. Despite highly guilt prone people's fear that by accepting these leadership positions, they might be putting themselves in a position to let teammates down, managers can make an effort to place guilt-prone people into these roles.

"Guilt proneness reduces the incidence of unethical behavior," said Wiltermuth. "Highly guilt-prone people are conscientious. They are less likely to free-ride on others' expertise, and they will sacrifice financial gain out of concern about how their actions would influence others' welfare."

The findings are published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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