Page 46 - Getting to the Heart of High Performance

Since then similar studies have been conducted in the work
environment with comparable results. Groups with a posi-

tive to negative interaction ratio of at least 3 to 1 are more
productive than teams with lower ratios. The so-called
magic ratio, however, is 5 to 1—five positive interactions for

every negative interaction. This combination appears to
bring out an organization’s best performance.

Can a person be too positive? Probably so. The upper limit
seems to be 13 to 1, with evidence suggesting that things

are likely to worsen when work groups exceed that ratio.
Still, the challenge for practically all organizations is to
become more positive, not less, because that’s how you
build the psychological balance sheet.

30 DEEP STRENGTHS