In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, Melina Palmer welcomes Dr. Polly Kang, a postdoctoral scholar at INSEAD, to explore the fascinating "streak end rule" and its implications for motivation and job satisfaction. Polly's research delves into how feelings influence decisions in organizational settings, using advanced quantitative tools and vast data sets to uncover causal relationships.

Polly shares insights from her study on a text-based crisis hotline, revealing how the order of tasks, rather than their difficulty alone, significantly impacts employee quitting rates. By strategically breaking up hard task streaks with easier tasks, organizations can reduce turnover by up to 22%. This episode provides practical strategies for managers to enhance job design and improve employee retention without financial incentives.

In this episode:

• Discover the streak end rule and its impact on motivation and job satisfaction.
• Learn how to reduce employee turnover by reordering tasks.
• Understand the role of job design in creating a positive work experience.
• Explore practical applications of the streak end rule in various organizational contexts.
• Gain insights into leveraging employee input to optimize task assignments.

Show Notes:

00:00:00 - Introduction Melina Palmer introduces Dr. Polly Kang and the topic of the streak end rule.

00:03:00 - Dr. Kang's Background Dr. Kang discusses her academic journey and research focus.

00:08:00 - The Streak End Rule Explanation of the streak end rule and its implications for employee motivation.

00:18:00 - Practical Applications Strategies for applying the streak end rule to reduce turnover.

00:28:00 - Role of Job Design Discussion on how job design can enhance employee satisfaction.

00:38:00 - Managerial Insights Tips for managers to optimize task assignments and improve team dynamics.

00:48:00 - Conclusion What stuck with you while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as @thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn.

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Connect with Polly:

• LinkedIn 

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Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode:

• What Your Employees Need and Can't Tell You, by Melina Palmer
• Influence, by Robert Cialdini
• The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M.R. Covey
• Drive, by Daniel Pink
• How Minds Change, by David McRaney

Top Recommended Next Episode: Fundamental Attribution Error (ep 268)

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• Change Management (ep 226)
• Confirmation Bias (ep 260)
• That’s not fair! (Inequity Aversion) (ep 224)
• Planning Fallacy (ep 346)
• Manuj Aggarwall Interview (ep 192)

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• Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter
• Time Article