Topics starting with "S"
This page lists business psychology topics that begin with the letter "S". Select a topic to learn the definition, causes, workplace patterns, and practical ways to handle it.
Topics (58)
- Salary framing effectsHow the presentation of pay numbers shapes perceptions, negotiations, and fairness at work, with practical steps for clearer manager-led compensation conversations.
- Salary negotiation anxietyHow anxiety around salary talks appears in the workplace, why it happens, common triggers and practical steps to make pay conversations clearer and fairer.
- Salary negotiation guiltSalary negotiation guilt is the hesitation or shame employees feel when asking for pay changes; managers see it in avoidance, apologetic language, quick acceptance, and unequal outcomes.
- Salary transparency effects on team moraleHow sharing pay information influences trust, fairness perceptions, collaboration, and retention on teams — and practical steps for handling morale shifts after pay becomes visible.
- Satisficing vs maximizing at workCompare satisficing and maximizing at work: how teams choose acceptable options versus seeking the best, signs it’s happening, common triggers, and practical management tactics.
- Saving Motivation TechniquesPractical psychological methods to boost saving motivation at work—what they are, how they show up among employees, common causes, triggers, and hands-on workplace techniques.
- Saying no without burning bridgesPractical communication strategies to refuse requests at work without damaging relationships, with signs, causes, triggers, and clear example replies.
- Scarcity Mindset and SavingHow a scarcity mindset steers workplace saving—why teams hoard resources, signs to watch, common causes, and practical steps to encourage balanced spending and better decisions.
- Scarcity mindset in salesHow scarcity mindset in sales leads to hoarded leads, end-of-period urgency, and short-term KPIs overriding pipeline health — and practical steps managers can use to rebalance incentives.
- Selective memory bias in team storytellingHow teams selectively edit and repeat workplace stories, why that skews learning and accountability, and practical meeting-level steps to surface fuller accounts.
- Self-Determination Theory AppliedA practical guide to applying Self-Determination Theory at work: spotting how autonomy, competence and relatedness affect motivation and simple steps to support them.
- Self-Efficacy for Career AdvancementBelief in one’s ability to win promotions and new roles—how it appears in project choices, feedback response, and visibility, and practical steps to strengthen it at work.
- Self-rewards that backfireWhen informal, self-chosen rewards (breaks, early leave, treats) reduce productivity or fairness at work — how managers spot patterns and align rewards with team goals.
- Self-sabotage patterns at workGuidance for leaders to spot and address recurring self-sabotage at work—patterns, triggers, practical manager-focused steps, and when to seek outside support.
- Signing bonus psychologyHow upfront hiring bonuses change perceptions, team morale, and hiring outcomes—and practical steps managers can use to align bonuses with retention and fairness.
- signs de-escalation techniques are working in conflict situationsPractical signs that de-escalation is working in workplace conflicts: calmer tone, fewer interruptions, clearer turns, and a shift from blame to action that keeps meetings productive.
- signs of assertive vs aggressive communication in colleaguesHow to recognize whether colleagues are communicating assertively or aggressively, how those patterns appear in meetings and messages, and practical steps for managing them.
- signs of effective implementation intentions for goal achievementRecognize workplace signs that when–then plans are working: specific cues, consistent actions, measurable follow-through, and predictable handoffs that improve team execution.
- signs of emotional contagion in meetingsPractical signs that emotions spread in meetings, how leaders spot patterns like tone shifts and participation ripples, and steps to manage their impact on decisions.
- signs of ineffective habit formation for professionalsObservable signs that workplace routines haven’t become automatic—missed cues, repeated reminders, and fragile processes—and practical steps leaders can take to fix them.
- signs of meeting overload and communication breakdownHow to recognize when too many meetings and poor follow-up create missed decisions, lost focus, and team friction — plus concrete steps managers can use to fix it.
- Signs of microaggressions and how to handle them professionallyPractical guidance for recognizing subtle, repeated slights at work and concrete, manager-focused steps to track, address, and prevent them to protect team trust and performance.
- signs of Silence and Power Dynamics in NegotiationHow silence plus power gaps shape workplace negotiations: signs to watch for, common causes, triggers, and practical steps to surface quieter voices and restore balance.
- signs of unclear communication of performance expectationsSigns that performance expectations are unclear: repeated clarifying questions, rework, shifting priorities, inconsistent feedback, and surprise performance reviews—practical fixes for leaders.
- signs your managing up communication strategy is failingHow to recognize and address failing managing-up communication—observable signs at work, common causes, triggers, and practical fixes to restore clear upward alignment.
- Silence and Power Dynamics in NegotiationHow pauses and withheld responses shape power in workplace negotiations, what it looks like, why it happens, and practical steps leaders can use to manage it.
- Silence and Power Dynamics in Negotiation at work between managers and employeesHow withholding speech, pauses, or quiet compliance shape negotiation outcomes at work, why silence matters, how to spot it and practical steps to surface voices and rebalance influence.
- Silence and Power Dynamics in Negotiation examples in team meetingsHow silence and status shape negotiation in team meetings: signs, triggers, and practical meeting techniques to surface hidden input and balance influence.
- Silence and Power Dynamics in Negotiation in leadership and team decision-makingHow quiet moments and unequal authority shape negotiation outcomes in team decisions — signs, triggers, and practical leadership tactics to balance voice and choices.
- Silence and Power Dynamics in Negotiation in the workplaceHow silence shapes power in workplace negotiations—signs in meetings, common causes, and practical steps to surface hidden influence and improve group decisions.
- Silence and Power Dynamics in Negotiation vs anxiety in the workplaceHow managers interpret and respond when workplace silence is a bargaining power move versus a sign of anxiety, with signs, triggers and practical steps to clarify intent and protect outcomes.
- Silent authoritySilent authority is influence without direct commands—when presence, reputation or silence shape decisions. Learn how to spot, document, and change its effects in workplace decisions.
- Single-tasking benefits vs multitasking mythsCompare focused single-tasking with multitasking misconceptions and learn how task assignment, meetings, and metrics shape productivity and quality at work.
- Situational Leadership Decision MakingSituational Leadership Decision Making is adapting directive versus supportive decision styles to match team readiness—seen when leaders change how they delegate, coach, or decide per situation.
- Situational vs habitual motivation at workUnderstand the difference between short-lived, context-driven motivation and steady, routine-driven motivation at work, and how to turn bursts of effort into consistent team practices.
- Skill Atrophy AnxietyWorkplace worry that abilities are fading from disuse; how it shows in task avoidance, over-checking, reassignment, and practical manager actions to prevent and reverse it.
- Skill-based self-doubtSkill-based self-doubt is task-specific uncertainty about abilities at work; learn signs, triggers, and manager-focused steps to support development and keep projects moving.
- Skill Obsolescence AnxietyWorkplace worry that your skills will become outdated—how it shows up, common causes and triggers, and practical, on-the-job ways to manage it.
- Skill signaling on resumesHow applicants highlight skills on resumes, how those cues influence hiring decisions, and practical steps leaders can use to verify and assess real capability.
- Sleep debt effects on workplace stressHow accumulated missed sleep raises workplace stress, shows up as errors and irritability, and what leaders can do to spot patterns and adjust schedules to reduce risk.
- Small-win sequencing to build momentumHow arranging a chain of small, visible tasks builds momentum at work — signs it’s helping or masking slow progress, and practical steps to sequence wins toward real outcomes.
- Small Wins Strategy for MomentumA practical guide to using tiny, visible accomplishments to maintain workplace momentum, with signs, triggers, and manager-focused steps to keep small wins aligned with bigger goals.
- Social accountability tools to maintain disciplinePractical methods that use visibility, shared commitments and peer feedback to keep teams disciplined—how they work, signs at work, triggers, and actionable steps to implement them.
- Social Comparison and Self-Esteem at WorkHow workplace social comparison affects employees' self-esteem, where it shows up, common triggers, and manager-focused steps to reduce harmful comparisons and support fair recognition.
- Social Support for Habit AdoptionHow colleagues and rituals help employees form new work habits: visible cues, buddy systems, modeling, and practical steps managers can use to embed routines.
- Speaking up anxiety in meetingsSpeaking up anxiety in meetings is hesitation or fear about contributing in group discussions. It reduces idea flow and decision quality; practical meeting-design steps can open space for more voices.
- Spending Triggers and Emotional SpendingHow workplace feelings and cues drive impulse purchases: what emotional spending looks like at work, common triggers, signs, and practical steps to reduce it.
- Spillover stress between concurrent projectsWhen pressure from one active project harms work on another—how that shows up across schedules, handoffs and decisions, and practical steps to reduce cross-project strain.
- Sponsorship versus mentorship perceptionHow people interpret a senior colleague’s actions as sponsorship or mentorship, why that matters for who wins opportunities, and practical steps to make roles and outcomes clearer.
- Statistical Thinking for Better DecisionsPractical guide to using statistical thinking at work: spot noise vs. signal, ask the right comparison questions, run simple tests, and set decision rules so leaders avoid costly overreactions.
- Status quo bias in policy adoptionExplains how preference for the current state blocks workplace policy changes, shows signs in meetings and documents, and gives practical steps to move decisions forward.
- Status Spending and Social SignalingHow workplace purchases and visible perks are used to signal status, how that affects team dynamics, and practical steps managers and employees can take to reduce unfair signaling.
- Stress Appraisal and Coping at WorkHow people judge and manage workplace stress—what managers can observe, common triggers and signs, and practical steps to shape appraisals and support productive coping.
- Stress from role ambiguityWhen responsibilities and decision rights are unclear at work, role ambiguity causes confusion, duplicated work, delayed decisions and drops in team reliability—fixable with clearer ownership and rule
- Subscription inertia and corporate spendHow recurring subscriptions persist in companies, why they inflate budgets, and practical steps managers can use to discover, review, and control ongoing corporate spend.
- Sunk cost fallacy at workHow leaders spot and counter the sunk cost fallacy at work: recognizing signs, redesigning decision gates, and practical steps to stop wasting time and resources on aging initiatives.
- Sunk Cost Fallacy in ProjectsHow past investments drive continued commitment to failing projects, how that appears in workplaces, and practical manager-focused ways to detect and stop it.
- Sustaining New Behaviors Long-TermPractical guidance for leaders to embed and maintain new workplace behaviors so they become routine, with signs, triggers, and actionable steps to support lasting change.