Chapter 5: The Dark Side of Being Too Good in Organizational Settings

Positive organizational phenomena have attracted considerable attention during the last decade. Perceptions of positive organizational climate and practices have been associated with positive employee attitudes and behaviors (e.g., Cameron, Bright, & Caza, 2004; Luthans, Norman, Avolio, & Avey, 2008; Rego, Ribeiro, & Cunha, 2010; Zagenczyk, Gibney, Few, & Scott, 2011). However, when an organization lacks moderation and becomes “too good,” expressing positive characteristics in excess, employees may interpret them as weaknesses and may try to gain personal benefits. Thus, the question is: “How much of a good thing is good?” Indeed, expressing a good thing in excess can be considered a vice as it lacks practical wisdom—Aristotelian phronesis—and may lead to negative outcomes (Grant & Schwartz, 2011; Schwartz & Sharpe, 2006).