Research: When Extra Effort Makes You Worse at Your Job

by Mouna El Mansouri, Karoline Strauss and Doris Fay

May 1, 2025

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Imagine that you are a salesperson. You’ve noticed that prospective clients always contact you several times after your meetings with them, asking you more or less the same kind of questions, which often delays contract signing. One morning, you spend time and effort thinking about how to improve this aspect of the process, and after imagining different solutions, you opt for compiling a list of FAQs to provide to prospective clients right before sending them your contract.

Mouna El Mansouri is an assistant professor of Organizational Behavior at EDHEC Business School in Lille, France. She earned her MBA from Ecole des Ponts in Paris then her PhD from ESSEC Business School in Paris, and worked for around 8 years in the finance/banking industry before transitioning to academia. Her research revolves around proactivity, emotions, cognitive functioning, and well-being in the workplace.

Karoline Strauss is a Professor of Management at ESSEC Business School in Paris. She earned her PhD in Organizational Psychology from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research explores how individuals envision their future selves and how these visions influence proactive behavior, career development, and adaptability in the workplace. She has published in leading journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, and Human Resource Management. Professor Strauss serves on the editorial boards of the several top journals. She has collaborated with organizations across various sectors, including healthcare, law enforcement, telecommunications, and sports.

Doris Fay is a full professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Potsdam, Germany. She received her PhD from the University of Amsterdam, and worked at Aston Business School before moving to her current position. She researches proactivity, well-being, and occupational stress. Her research is guided by the view that individuals shape their external environments and internal experiences through their actions at work.

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Read more on Collaboration and teams or related topics Burnout, Stress management, Innovation, Leadership and managing people, Employee performance management, Managing yourself and Time management

Research: When Extra Effort Makes You Worse at Your Job

Summary.

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