Project Report

On

Failure of Failure

Subject

Oganizational Behaviour

Submitted to Submitted By

Dr A. K. Singh Richa Sharma

Roll Number 44

MHROD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Serial Number Title Page Number

1 Objective of Study 3

2 Research Methodology 3

3 Literature Review 3

4 Tools used 6

5 Analysis 8

6 Conclusion 11

7 Limitation 11

8 Future area of research 11

9 References 11

10 Annexure 12

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1. Objectives of Study To determine the level of fear of failure in males and

females, and also whether there is a significantdifference in the two.

To determine whether gender and fear of failure aredependent/independent

2. Research Methodology The questionnaire was sent out to people working in

various IT, banking and government sector firms. The range of age included people from 24 to 55 years of

age. Sampling Technique used : Random

3. Literature Review

Fear of Failure: Guessing Test

The guessing test instrument is intended to help respondentsgain an insight into their level of fear of failure, which isa dimension of the achievement motive.

Conceptual Framework

The achievement motive has been found to be a critical factorin entrepreneurship and is reflected in a person’s concern forexcellence and success. Such concern may be generated eitherby hope of success or by fear of failure. The first (hope ofsuccess) is the approach dimension, and the other (fear offailure), the avoidance dimension of achievement motivation.One is concerned with approaching challenges and the otherwith avoiding hurdles and factors that may cause failure(Birney 1997, Heckhausen, 1967)

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Based on a study of entrepreneurs, who had undergoneentrepreneurial motivation development training in fourcountries, Verga (1977) found fear of failure to be animportant intervening variable to explain who would translatethe gains from training into setting up an enterprise. Hefound that fear of failure prevented people from going intoentrepreneurial activities even if they had a high achievementmotive, Verga measured fear of failure from the storieswritten by the respondents and he used Heckhausen’s methodsof scoring (Heckhausen, undated)

The guessing test is based on the same concept. It has beendeveloped as a semi projective test, using Heckhausen’sscoring method as the basis. Heckhausen(undated) proposed thefollowing common categories for hope of success and fear offailure need, goal anticipation, instrumental activity,reaction of others (prize or blame), and feelings about theresult. All these 5 categories have been used to prepare threeforced choice pairs for each category, making a total of 15items. Care has been taken to equate the pair on socialdesirability. In addition to the above dimensions, Heckhausenalso proposed two dimensions: result (failure) and thema.These two dimensions have not been used in this instrument.

Causes of Fear of Failure

To find the causes of fear of failure, we first need tounderstand what "failure" actually means.

We all have different definitions of failure, simply becausewe all have different benchmarks, values, and belief systems.A failure to one person might simply be a great learningexperience for someone else.

Many of us are afraid of failing, at least some of the time.But fear of failure (also called "atychiphobia") is when weallow that fear to stop us doing the things that can move usforward to achieve our goals.

Fear of failure can be linked to many causes. For instance,having critical or unsupportive parents is a cause for somepeople. Because they were routinely undermined or humiliatedin childhood, they carry those negative feelings intoadulthood.

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Experiencing a traumatic event at some point in your life canalso be a cause. For example, say that several years ago yougave an important presentation in front of a large group, andyou did very poorly. The experience might have been soterrible that you developed a fear of failure about otherthings. And you carry that fear even now, years later.

Signs of Fear of Failure

You might experience some of these symptoms if you have a fearof failure:

A reluctance to try new things or get involved inchallenging projects.

Self-sabotage - for example, procrastination, excessiveanxiety, or a failure to follow through with goals.

Low self-esteem or self-confidence – Commonly usingnegative statements such as "I'll never be good enough toget that promotion," or "I'm not smart enough to get onthat team."

Perfectionism – A willingness to try only those thingsthat you know you'll finish perfectly and successfully.

"Failure" – A Matter of Perspective

It's almost impossible to go through life without experiencingsome kind of failure. People who to do so probably live socautiously that they go nowhere. Put simply, they're notreally living at all.

The wonderful thing about failure is that it's entirely up tous to decide how to look at it.

We can choose to see failure as "the end of the world," or asproof of just how inadequate we are. Or, we can look atfailure as the incredible learning experience that it oftenis. Every time we fail at something, we can choose to look forthe lesson we're meant to learn. These lessons are veryimportant; they're how we grow, and how we keep from makingthat same mistake again. Failures stop us only if we let them.

It's easy to find successful people who have experiencedfailure. For example:

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Steve Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985. Yet he returnedin 1997, and was instrumental in helping the companydevelop products such as the iMac, iPod, and iPhone.

Warren Buffet, one of the world's richest and mostsuccessful businessmen, was rejected by HarvardUniversity.

Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin empire, is a highschool dropout.

Most of us will stumble and fall in life. Doors will getslammed in our faces, and we might make some bad decisions.But imagine if Michael Jordan had given up on his dream toplay basketball when he was cut from that team. Imagine ifRichard Branson had listened to the people who told him he'dnever do anything worthwhile without a high school diploma.

Think of the opportunities you'll miss if you let yourfailures stop you.

Failure can also teach us things about ourselves that we wouldnever have learned otherwise. For instance, failure can helpyou discover how strong a person you are. Failing at somethingcan help you discover your truest friends, or help you findunexpected motivation to succeed.

Often, valuable insights come only after a failure. Acceptingand learning from those insights is key to succeeding in life.

Overcoming a Fear of Failure

It's important to realize that in everything we do, there'salways a chance that we'll fail. Facing that chance, andembracing it, is not only courageous – it also gives us afuller, more rewarding life.

However, here are a few ways to reduce the fear of failing:

Analyze all potential outcomes – Many people experiencefear of failure because they fear the unknown. Removethat fear by considering all of the potential outcomes ofyour decision. Our article Decision Trees will teach youhow to map possible outcomes visually.

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Learn to think more positively – Positive thinking is anincredibly powerful way to build self-confidence andneutralize self-sabotage. Our article Thought Awareness,Rational Thinking, and Positive Thinking is acomprehensive resource for learning how to change yourthoughts.

Look at the worse-case scenario – In some cases, theworst case scenario may be genuinely disastrous, and itmay be perfectly rational to fear failure. In othercases, however, this worst case may actually not be thatbad, and recognizing this can help.

Have a contingency plan – If you're afraid of failing atsomething, having a "Plan B" in place can help you feelmore confident about moving forward.

Using Goal Setting

If you have a fear of failure, you might beuncomfortable setting goals. But goals help us define where wewant to go in life. Without goals, we have no suredestination.

Many experts recommend visualization as a powerful tool forgoal setting. Imagining how life will be after you've reachedyour goal is a great motivator to keep you moving forward.

However, visualization might produce the opposite results inpeople who have a fear of failure. In the article "TantalizingFantasies: Positive Imagery Induces Negative Mood inIndividuals High in Fear of Failure" (published in the journalImagination, Cognition and Personality, Vol. 21, No. 4),researcher Thomas Langens showed that people who have a fearof failure were often left in a strong negative mood afterbeing asked to visualize goals and goal attainment.

So, what can you do instead?

Start by setting a few small goals. These should be goals thatare slightly, but not overwhelmingly, challenging. Think ofthese goals as "early wins" that are designed to help boostyour confidence.

For example, if you've been too afraid to talk to the newdepartment head (who has the power to give you the promotion

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you want), then make that your first goal. Plan to stop by heroffice during the next week to introduce yourself.

Or, imagine that you've dreamed of returning to school to getyour MBA, but you're convinced that you're not smart enough tobe accepted into business school. Set a goal to talk with aschool counselor or admissions officer to see what's requiredfor admission.

Try to make your goals tiny steps on the route to much biggergoals. Don't focus on the end picture: getting the promotion,or graduating with an MBA. Just focus on the next step:introducing you to the department head, and talking to anadmissions officer. That's it.

Taking one small step at a time will help build yourconfidence, keep you moving forward, and prevent you fromgetting overwhelmed with visions of your final goal.

If a manager wishes to increase risk-taking behaviour amongemployees, the place to start is by demonstrating consistentrisk taking behaviour and an attitude of acceptance ofpersonal failures (Sisson, 1985, p.41)

The manager must also be patient and understanding whilecontinuing to emphasize the benefits to be gained from newopportunities. This way of focusing on risktaking, people canbe encouraged to engage in behaviors that increase self-confidence, self-esteem, and require changing some attitudesabout themselves and others in order to become healthier andmore productive (Sisson, 1985, p. 42).

4. Tools Used

Fear of Failure: Guessing Test

Some situations involving entrepreneurs are given below. Tryto correctly guess what is happening. In each situation, twoanswers are given. Choose one of the two to indicate youropinion.

1. An entrepreneur is showing a machine to his friend. Whatis he saying to him?

a) I want to improve this machine

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b) I hope this machine works; otherwise I will not be ableto make much profit.

2. Some entrepreneurs are having a meeting after seeinggovernment officials. What are they discussing

a) How to defend the mistakes pointed out by the govtofficials.

b) How the various tasks can be completed on time.3. An entrepreneur is talking with a friend. What is he

telling him?a) I am sure my factory will make huge profitsb) If my factory is not profitable, I shall be ruined.4. An entrepreneur has called his manager in for discussion.

What does he think about his manager?a) That he lacks the drive and has not been able to promote

product sales.b) That he is an efficient person.5. An entrepreneur is talking with his wife. What is he

telling her?a) I do a good job and I enjoy it.b) I am upset that we could not get the contract.6. An entrepreneur is talking about a plan with his friend.

What is he saying?a) I do not want to be left behind the others in these

contracts.b) I shall certainly finish the contract on time.7. An entrepreneur has called an outside consultant. What is

he discussing with him?a) He is asking him to design a new systemb) He is getting his plans checked by the consultant8. A group of entrepreneurs have a dinner party. Two of them

are talking in a corner. What are they saying?a) We shall not succeed if we cannot work together.b) We have extremely good chances of success9. An entrepreneur is talking with his manager about their

foreman. What is he saying?a) If the foreman achieves his target we shall reward himb) The foreman will have to do better if he wants a raise in

his salary10. An entrepreneur is leaving his desk late in the

evening. What do you think is happening?a) He says to himself “My god, I am stuck again, I will come

back to it tomorrow”

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b) He has at last finished his plan and gives a sigh ofrelief

11. An entrepreneur is working out the details of theplan. What does he want to do?

a) Try not to over quote so that he can get the contract.b) He does not want to lose the contract, and is thinking

what can be done.12. An entrepreneur is sitting in a chair and thinking.

What about?a) How to increase his productionb) He is wondering whether any mistakes were made in the

plan of production13. An entrepreneur has called his manager to ask him

about the proposed schedule of work. What does themanager think to himself

a) He believes that the work will be done.b) He is apprehensive that they have problems, but hesitates

to tell his boss14. Two officers in a government department are

discussing the case of an entrepreneur. What are theysaying?

a) He should be given the contract depending on whether hewill be able to complete this task or not

b) He should be given the contract as he does his job verywell

15. An entrepreneur is standing before a machine he hasdesigned. What is he thinking?

a) What a good machine we have been able to make!b) Why on earth couldn’t we find the nagging fault!

Scoring

The following scoring key gives the alternatives that are tobe scored for fear of failure. The total number of fear offailure items, checked by the respondents, gives his totalscore, which ranges from 0 to 15. Following alternativesindicate the fear of failure.

1 B 9 B2 A 10 A3 B 11 B4 A 12 B5 B 13 B

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6 A 14 A7 B 15 B8 A

Count the number of items, given above, checked by arespondent. This is the score for the fear of failure. Minimumand Maximum scores are 0 and 15.

Norms

A score of 5 and less is regarded as low and one of 9 andabove as high.

Use for HRD

The interpretation is simple. The total score is the index ofan individual’s fear of failure motive. However, the variousitems can also be examined to see on which dimension fear offailure is higher.

The facilitator may use the results to discuss how fear offailure prevents a person from being successful. Reinforcementof hope of success can be done through writing of stories withhigh HS (hope of success) preparing plans with HS, anddetailed planning of movement towards success. It may beuseful to emphasise that small challenges that aresuccessfully achieved develop an urge to achieve (take on morechallenges gradually, challenging goals help to develop hopeof success. Special emphasis may be given to realistic butchallenging, goal setting moderate risk)

5. Analysis

The total number of respondents was 67 out of which malerespondents were 36 and female 31. The distribution is shownin Fig-1

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Females46%

Males54%

Male-Female Ratio

Fig-1

Mean StandardDeviation

Male 4.861111 2.269711

Female 5.9 2.139126

Z – Test

Underlying Assumptions:

Experimental Design: The sample forms two independenttreatment groups.

Null Hypothesis: The population means of the twotreatment groups are not significantly different fromeach other.

Population Distribution: Arbitrary distribution withineach treatment group.

Sample Size: Size of each treatment group is equal to orgreater than 30.

Acceptance level : 95%

Hypothesis:

H01: There is no significant difference in the fear of failureof Males and Females.

H11: There is a significant difference in the fear of failureof Males and Females.

Test Criterion:

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At 95% significance level, the value of z = 1.96 (zcritical)

So if the calculated z value comes out to be outside the range-1.96<=z<=1.96, Reject the Null Hypothesis.

Computations:

Mean StandardDeviation

Male 4.861111 2.269711Female 5.9 2.139126

Estimated StandardError 0.539174

zObserved 1.926817Conclusion:

Since the z value for the data comes out within the testcriterion range, we fail to reject the null hypothesis (zobserved

< zcritical).

Alternately, we can say that there is no significantdifference in the fear of failure of males and females.

Chi Square Test

Underlying Assumptions:

Normality assumption, though it need not hold for chisquare goodness of fit test and test for independence ofattributes.

The Expected frequency in any cell is not less than 5. Ifit is so, then it has to be pooled with the preceding orsucceeding cell so that expected frequency of the pooledcell is at least 5.

Can be used for any sample size as long as the assumptionon minimum expected cell frequency is met.

It does not need any assumption regarding thedistribution of the parent population from which thesamples are taken

Significance level taken : 5%

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Hypothesis:

H02: Gender and Fear of Failure are independent

H12: Gender and Fear of Failure are dependent.

Test Criterion:

If Observed > Critical (5.99); reject Null Hypothesis

Computations:

Low<=5) Medium(6-8) High(>=9) TotalMale 25 10 1 36Female 15 14 2 31Total 40 24 3 67

Low<=5) Medium(6-8)

High(>=9)

0

10

20

30Male

Male

Low<=5) Medium(6-8)

High(>=9)

05101520

Female

Female

Observed Expected25 21.4925373110 12.895522391 1.61194029915 18.5074626914 11.104477612 1.388059701

O E O-E (O-E)^2 ((O-E)^2)/E

25 21.49254 3.507463 12.30229 0.57239811 14.50746 -3.50746 12.30229 0.84799815 18.50746 -3.50746 12.30229 0.664721

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16 12.49254 3.507463 12.30229 0.9847713.069888

Conclusion:

Critical is more than Observed , therefore we fail to reject thenull hypothesis. Alternately, Gender and Fear of Failure areindependent.

6. Conclusion There is no significant difference in the Fear of Failure

of Males and Females. Gender and Fear of Failure are independent

7. Limitations All the limitations of random sampling are applicable.

8. Future areas of Research Identifying the score of fear of failure with age line

i.e. whether age is a factor that affects fear of failureor not.

Connecting the dots between emotional intelligence, fearof failure and performance of an individual.

9. References

[1] Kay F. Butler, Robert C. Birney and David C. McClelland,The anatomy of achievement motivation by Heinz Heckhausen,1967

[2] Thomas Langens , "Tantalizing Fantasies: PositiveImagery Induces Negative Mood in Individuals High in Fear ofFailure, journal Imagination, Cognition and Personality,Vol. 21, No. 4

[3] http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/fear-of-failure.htm

[4] Sisson, S. (1985), “Managerial risk-taking”, Training andDevelopment Journal, January, pp. 39-42.

[5] Udai Pareek, Surabhi Purohit,Training Instruments in HRD and OD ,200915 | P a g e R i c h a S h a r m a

Annexure

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