Kai is a third-year PhD candidate in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School. His research explores passion as a key driver of meaningful workâboth for individuals and for society at large. He examines what people are passionate about, how they pursue these passions in their daily work, and the benefits and challenges that come with doing so. Ultimately, his work seeks to inform how leaders and organizations can help people maintain existing passions, develop new ones, and make a difference in the world.
This research shows that passion has a curvilinear relationship with performance. Moderate passion enhances outcomes, but excessive, uncontrollable passion reduces effectiveness by diverting attention from responsibilities. A diary study of nurses demonstrates that managing, rather than maximizing, passion is key to sustaining high performance across professional contexts.