Conventional wisdom suggests that feeling consistently powerful can help employees hit their goals, but new research published in Personnel Psychology challenges that long-standing assumption. According to the study, it is not steady power that fuels goal pursuit, but rather the ups and downs of the workplace that influence employees’ experience throughout the day.
Eric Anicich, associate professor of management and organization, in collaboration with lead author Rose Kim and co-authors Trevor Foulk, Michael Schaerer, and Jake Gale, studied how everyday shifts between moments of authority and constraint can impact employees’ energy and goal pursuit. Instead of focusing on “static power” — the average amount of influence someone holds — the team studied “power fluctuation,” the natural rise and fall of influence throughout a workday such as leading a meeting one hour and deferring to a supervisor the next.
Across three studies, the researchers consistently found employees who experienced more fluctuation in workplace power reported higher levels of cognitive energy, a form of mental vitality marked by alertness, focus, and readiness to act. That increased energy was associated with clearer goals, stronger initiative, greater resourcefulness, and more forward progress at work. The results suggest that dynamic power experiences may serve as a motivational force when employees are able to navigate them successfully.
In the first study, 111 full-time employees were surveyed multiple times a day over two weeks to capture natural rhythms in power. On days when employees experienced stronger fluctuations, they reported feeling more energized and mentally engaged. That energy was associated with a clearer sense of what they needed to accomplish and greater day-to-day goal progress. Notably, the benefits were not the result of feeling powerful overall, but rather the dynamic shifts in power themselves.
The second study, conducted with 179 business students working in semester-long project teams, replicated these findings. Students whose influence rose and fell over the semester reported greater energy and productivity. However, those who shifted frequently between levels of authority and constraint also reported more frustration. Even so, the energizing effect persisted, suggesting power fluctuation creates a complex psychological experience that can be simultaneously challenging and motivating.
Not everybody, however, benefits equally from these power fluctuations. The third study showed mindfulness — a person’s ability to stay present, adapt to changing situations, and avoid overreacting — played a key role in helping participants better translate fluctuating power experiences into constructive energy. Those low in mindfulness did not experience the same benefits. In other words, power fluctuations can be a catalyst for performance, but only if employees have the emotional tools to handle it.
