MY idea, MY project, MY team
The perks and pitfalls of psychological ownership
Humans are possessive creatures. They love the feeling procured by ownership. Couples spend years of savings to become homeowners. Customers strive to become the happy owners of the latest tech gadgets. Countries wage wars to defend their ownership of lands and natural resources. To own means to be in control of a rare resources. It provides a feeling of safety and predictability.
Ownership can also take different forms. When we invest huge amount of our time and energy in idea, a project or role, we feel like we literally own it. This feeling is known as psychological ownership.
Psychological ownership provides us with meaning and motivation. It allows us to feel connected and secure. In the workplace, employees and teams who have a high level of psychological ownership are often more productive and motivated. In Scrum Framework, there is even a role called Product Owner.
Psychological ownership provides us with meaning and motivation. It allows us to feel connected and secure.
Nevertheless, psychological ownership can turn into a curse, especially in the workplace. Some managers tend to underestimate psychological effects of telling an employee or a team to let go a project or an idea they have been working on. The same psychological mechanisms that spark motivation could lead to a feeling of a frustration and disengagement.
The same psychological mechanisms that spark motivation could lead to a feeling of a frustration and disengagement.
To avoid these pitfall, it is crucial to clearly articulate the ownership transition and recognize the efforts by employee or the team. Transition ceremonies can be organized to provide a feeling of closure. While emphasizing the importance of individual contributions, it is important to remind of the global context in which the work is being done and why transitions are important to ensure the continuity of an organization.
At the end of the day, even if we do not literally own much of what we think we do, we always take with us a a part of what we psychologically owned.
