ELEVATION

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Elevation is an emotion similar to awe or admiration that arises when we encounter a morally courageous or heroic act.  The state of moral elevation arises whenever individuals witness, or hear about, acts that epitomise moral virtue - acts that represent unexpected kindness, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness

 

In one study, participants were asked to write in detail about occasions in which they observed manifestations of the moral virtues of humans.  Participants often described instances in which someone assisted a person who was deprived, ill, or distressed.  One of these stories, for example, was about a man driving with three other individuals in a car.  They drove past an elderly woman, shovelling snow in her driveway.  One of the men asked the driver to stop, left the car, walked to the woman, and helped her clear her driveway.  After witnessing this event, another person in the car said they experienced a profound desire to help other individuals.

 

Elevation can be defined as a warm, uplifting feeling that people experience when they see unexpected acts of human good­ness, kindness, courage, or compassion.  It makes a person want to help others and to become a better person himself or herself.  Elevation may create a nice, fuzzy, warm feeling, but it also has powerful real-world effects.  It makes moral acts contagious by giving us a strong desire to emulate the inspiring behaviour we observe.  It encourages us to be less selfish and more helpful toward others.  Seeing another person help makes us want to help.  Our moral actions set off a cascade, inspiring others who then inspire yet more people.

 

Elevation is not a new concept.  In 1771, a friend wrote to USA President, Thomas Jefferson, asking for book recommendations. Jefferson wrote back encouraging his friend to seek out inspiring stories, even fictional ones, that could provide accounts of moral excellence he would want to imitate.  He explained:

 

When any act of charity or of gratitude, for instance, is presented either to our

sight or imagination, we are deeply impressed with its beauty and feel a strong

desire in ourselves of doing charitable and grateful acts also.

                                

Studies have demonstrated that Jefferson was correct.  Psychologists have found that they can induce the emotion of elevation in study participants by showing them a video or asking participants to read a story or simply recall morally inspiring events in their lives.  Inducing elevation makes study participants more eager to help others with difficult tasks.  Those who experience it also become less preoccupied with their image, popularity, and money.  Elevation can even reduce feelings of prejudice and promote more positive attitudes toward those who are unlike us.

 

Elevation at Work

 

Elevation is not limited to dramatic and dangerous situations.  It can also arise in more mundane places like meeting rooms and corporate offices.  A 2010 study collected data from workers about their feelings toward their supervisors and found that bosses could cause their followers to experience elevation through acts of fairness and self-sacrifice.  Elevation caused these workers to have positive feelings toward their bosses, and the effect spilled over into other relationships; they were kinder and more helpful toward their co-workers and more committed to their organisation as a whole.

 

"Elevation puts moral values into action"

 

These findings suggest that elevation is a valuable emotion for company leaders.  It can give ethical leadership traction by helping a leader's values and behaviours take root in his or her employees.

 

Most companies have codes of values.  But true moral inspiration comes from people, not from abstract principles.  Although we need rules, guidelines, regulations, and laws, we are only inspired by the people who embody them and live them out.  For each of your organisation's values, make sure you can identify a person who exemplifies it in his or her life and work.

 

Tell a story 

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Stay on the lookout in your organisation for situations or examples where staff have risen to the challenge and exemplified the company's best intentions and the greater good.  These can be where staff have worked longer hours to deliver a project, or identified a better more effective way of operating.  

These examples should be communicated to the wider company to illustrate and enthuse others.

 

Make it positive

 

When we speak about ethics, we often speak of duties and legal obligations and the bad things that happen to those who fail to fulfil them.  But a good example is often more effective in prompting good behaviour than a bad one.  In fact, a good example can inspire us to go "beyond the call of duty" instead of simply doing the bare minimum.

 

Let it spread

 

The next step is to let elevation simply do what it does best: spread.  Elevation is particularly interesting because of its power to spread, thereby potentially improving entire communities.  If elevation increases the likelihood that a witness to good deeds will soon become a doer of good deeds, then elevation sets up the possibility of an 'upward spiral,' raising the level of compassion, love, and harmony in an entire society.

 

Behaviour of Leaders

 

Employees pay a lot of attention to the moral behaviour of their superiors and respond positively to any display of fairness and moral integrity.  Such displays inspire moral ‘elevation’ and results in intense positive emotions.  Leaders can benefit from the positive effects associated with elevation and should actively strive to inspire it in their employees.

 

A study at the University of Cambridge shows that elevation leads to an increase in altruism. Individuals experiencing elevation were more likely to volunteer to participate in an unpaid study, and spent twice as long helping an experimenter perform tedious tasks compared to those experiencing mirth or in a neutral emotional state.  The researchers concluded that witnessing another person's altruistic behaviour elicits elevation, which leads to tangible increases in altruism. According to these results, the best method of encouraging altruistic behaviour is simply to lead by example.

 

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