Cutting corners at work is a polarising behaviour. Some consider it a negative because of its association with poor workmanship, overlooked details and a job half-done. Others consider it a positive because of its potential to boost productivity, save time and preserve money. So who's right?
In a sense, both groups are right. Research in recent years has demonstrated that cutting corners leads to greater workplace injuries and poorer performance. Imagine cutting corners in a hospital ward, for example.
At the same time, cutting corners helps people in other contexts to outmanoeuvre a cumbersome and restrictive system and to achieve broader business goals sooner.
New studies due to be published next year by scholars at Western Sydney University and Queensland University of Technology take these insights further by developing, for the first time, a series of eight statements that test the extent to which people cut corners. The first statement is perhaps a little too obvious:
1. When I can, I cut corners at work.
2. I try to minimise the effort expended when doing work.
3. If skipping a task will save me time at work, I will do it.
4. I do not do every little part of my work.
5. I am more concerned with the finished product than all the little steps.
6. I am more concerned with getting something done than getting it right at work.
7. I use short cuts at work to get ahead.
8. Efficiency is more important than accuracy at work.
How many of those did you answer in the affirmative? If the outcome was a majority, it's possible I might be able to guess your demographic profile. That's because the 533 Australians who participated in the study were also asked a range of personal questions, the results of which were quite revealing.
For instance, men were more likely than women to admit they cut corners at work. Likewise, the emotionally unstable similarly reported higher rates of corner cutting and so, too, did the psychopaths, Machiavellians and narcissists.
There's a connection there, you know. As the researchers note, it appears men cut corners more than women because men tend to be more Machiavellian, more psychopathic and less conscientious. They're also more likely to "prioritise immediate needs at work and engage in risky behaviour".
In a second study by the same researchers, this time of almost 600 Americans, the demographic range of corner-cutters expanded to also include younger employees, dishonest employees, introverted employees, and part timers too. Although, curiously, there wasn't a difference in this study between the genders.
The overall theme, however, is summarised like this: "Cutting corners is generally used by poor performers to meet minimal standards rather than good performers to excel." In other words, "while most people do not seem to cut corners at work, those who do appear to be characterised by compromised/flexible morality, limited future planning, and selfishness".
So much for an upside.
Sometimes, though, cutting corners has less to do with the individual concerned and more to do with the environment. In a world where most modern workplaces seem to be dominated with the hackneyed "do more with less" mantra, which means fewer resources and tighter deadlines, it wouldn't be surprising if even moral and unselfish employees felt compelled to cut corners.
It's like riding a motorbike. If when nearing a turn you decide to cut across a corner, sure, you might save yourself a bit of time. But accidentally clip the kerb and the outcome won't be pretty.
James Adonis is the author of How To Be Great.
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