The Pros and Cons of Perfectionism, According to Research
Extensive research has found the psychology of perfectionism to be rather complex. Yes, perfectionists strive to produce flawless work, and they also have higher levels of motivation and conscientiousness than non-perfectionists. However, they are also more likely to set inflexible and excessively high standards, to evaluate their behavior overly critically, to hold an all-or-nothing mindset about their performance. So while certain aspects of perfectionism might be beneficial in the workplace, perfectionistic tendencies can also clearly impair employees at work. Researchers combed through four decades of study on perfectionism to answer: Are perfectionists better performers at work? Taken as a whole, their results indicate that perfectionism is a much bigger weakness than many job applicants and interviewers probably assume.
“What is your biggest weakness?”
One of the most common answers to this interview question is, “I am a perfectionist.” But is perfectionism a weakness? Wouldn’t many interviewers see it as a strength?
Extensive research has found the psychology of perfectionism to be rather complex. Yes, perfectionists strive to produce flawless work, and they also have higher levels of motivation and conscientiousness than non-perfectionists. However, they are also more likely to set inflexible and excessively high standards, to evaluate their behavior overly critically, to hold an all-or-nothing mindset about their performance (“my work is either perfect or a total failure”), and to believe their self-worth is contingent on performing perfectly. Studies have also found that perfectionists have higher levels of stress, burnout, and anxiety.
So while certain aspects of perfectionism might be beneficial in the workplace, perfectionistic tendencies can also clearly impair employees at work. Does this make it a weakness?
We combed through four decades of study on perfectionism to answer a more basic question: Are perfectionists better performers at work? We conducted a meta-analysis of 95 studies, conducted from the 1980s to today, that examined the relationship between perfectionism and factors that impact employees’ effectiveness. These studies included nearly 25,000 working-age individuals. The short answer, we found, is that perfectionism is a much bigger weakness than job applicants and interviewers probably assume.
Most of the studies we reviewed used one of three established scales of perfectionism. But there were some studies that used others. That said, virtually every study measured perfectionism by having individuals report their own perfectionistic tendencies.
Given there are a few different scales for perfectionism, there is not one definition of what it is. But there are characteristics of perfectionism that are mostly agreed upon, such as inflexibly high standards and an all-or-nothing mind set.
Our results affirm that perfectionism meaningfully and consistently predicts several “beneficial” workplace outcomes. For example, perfectionists are more motivated on the job, work longer hours, and can be more engaged at work.
However, our results also indicate that perfectionism is strongly and consistently related to numerous “detrimental” work and non-work outcomes, including higher levels of burnout, stress, workaholism, anxiety, and depression.
While these effects were consistently evident for perfectionists in general, closer examination yielded important distinctions about when these effects were more or less extreme. Research has identified two distinct but related sub-dimensions of perfectionism. The first, which we call excellence-seeking perfectionism, involves tendencies to fixate on and demand excessively high standards. Excellence-seeking perfectionists not only stringently evaluate their own performance but also hold high performance expectations for other people in their lives. The second, which we call failure-avoiding perfectionism, involves an obsessive concern with and aversion to failing to reach high performance standards. Failure-avoiding perfectionists are constantly worried their work is not quite right or good enough and believe that they will lose respect from others if they do not achieve perfection.
Our results demonstrate that perfectionists’ tendencies may be focused in just one or both of these sub-dimensions, and that this focus produces slightly different outcomes. The “beneficial” effects of perfectionism were stronger for those higher in excellence-seeking perfectionism than those who exhibit more failure-avoiding perfectionistic tendencies. On the flip side, the “detrimental” effects of perfectionism were stronger for those higher in failure-avoiding perfectionism, but were usually still present for people higher in excellence-seeking perfectionism.
Critically, our results showed that performance and perfectionism were not related to each other —perfectionists are not better or worse performers than non-perfectionists. Even employees high in excellence-seeking perfectionism were not better performers. However, we could not identify a specific reason for the absence of the relationship. It is possible that perfectionists spend too much time perfecting certain work or projects while neglecting other tasks or projects. Alternatively, perhaps any advantages gained by employees’ perfectionistic tendencies are washed away by the consequences of those same tendencies. Identifying definitive causes will require future research.
Taken as a whole, our results indicate that perfectionism is likely not constructive at work. We did find consistent, modestly-sized relationships between perfectionism and variables widely considered to be beneficial for employees and organizations (i.e., motivation and conscientiousness). Yet critically, we found no link between perfectionism and performance. This, coupled with the strong effects of perfectionism on burnout and mental well-being, suggests perfectionism has an overarching detrimental effect for employees and organizations. In other words, if perfectionism is expected to impact employee performance by increased engagement and motivation, then that impact is being offset by opposing forces, like higher depression and anxiety, which have serious consequences beyond just the workplace.
This is not to say that managers should downgrade candidates or employees with high perfectionistic tendencies. Rather, managers should look to harness the benefits while simultaneously acknowledging and mitigating potential consequences. For instance, instead of constantly reminding perfectionists of performance goals (which is likely unnecessary as perfectionists typically hold themselves to the highest possible standards), managers could focus on encouraging perfectionists to set goals for rejuvenating, non-work recovery activities — ones that could help mitigate stress and burnout. Managers can also clearly detail their expectations and communicate tolerance for some mistakes.
Taking measures to better manage perfectionists will become a bigger managerial priority. One study of nearly 42,000 young people around the world found that perfectionism has risen over the last 27 years. Striving to be perfect is not overly beneficial for employees and has significant costs for employees and organizations. Instead of encouraging employees to be “perfect,” we might be better off with going for “good enough.”
Brian Swider is an assistant professor at the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. His research focuses on how and why employees enter and exit organizations.
Dana Harari is a Ph.D candidate at the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research investigates how employees’ behavior and activities outside of work impact their well-being, relationships, and performance at work.
Amy P. Breidenthal is a Ph.D. candidate at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research investigates employee creativity, social networks, and perfectionism.
Laurens Bujold Steed is an assistant professor at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University. Her research explores employee well-being and the role of pay at work.
The Pros and Cons of Perfectionism, According to Research
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