What is Catfish Effect ?
The ‘Catfish Effect’ is the effect that motivates weaker members of a group to fight in the face of strong competition. Companies might take active steps to ensure healthy competition in the workplace, which is referred to as ‘Catfish Management’.
This effect is responsible for encouraging productivity at the workplace. It is also the reason why companies display scorecards prominently. It promotes healthy competition and ensures that even the weaker team members try harder to get maximum output.
The origin of the term is an ancient story from Norway. In those days, it was very hard to transport live sardine fish. A clever captain discovered that keeping a catfish in the same tank helps in keeping the sardines live longer.