REPLY TO THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS WITH 250 WORDS EACH POST. THERE ARE TWO DISCUSSION POSTS THAT YOU WILL RESPOND TO, WITH
Discussion Prompt 1:
250 WORDS RESPONSE
Birds of a feather flock together.
This proverb is probably one I’ve used many times in my life and many more times in the last few years at my current place of employment. During my entire understanding of this phenomenon, I believed it meant that people of the same kind stuck together. It is more complex than that as most proverbs and parables are. Robin Dunbar’s discovery of humans’ ability to form larger cooperative social groups and transmit our knowledge through culture (2018) highlights the complexity of the flock. Dunbar discovered that our brains can maintain stable and meaningful relationships with 150 people at max. So it is apparent that this parable is from the perspective of somebody on the outside of the flock, someone who is not a part of the social capacity of that group that has flocked together for whatever reason they found could benefit their survival.
While the cats away the mice will play.
This next proverb is one that I have heard a few times in my life and although I have never used it I do know of a few different scenarios where this saying makes sense. I have witnessed this phenomenon when the bosses aren’t present the workers tend to slack off, in which social loafing and free-riding occur more frequently. Social loafing and free riding are a form of social performance where the individual’s behavior is influenced by the behavior of the majority (2010). The study by Ringelmann shows that the larger the group the less energy is exerted towards the task and even in extreme scenarios some individuals would exert no effort if it is thought that others would do the tasks (2010). This proverb showcases that the social performance of social loafing and free riding are examples of groupthink that leads to ineffective behavior that is detrimental to the group and efficient completion of the task.
Turn the other cheek.
As someone who came from a tough upbringing, who grew up in some rough neighborhoods, and who made many mistakes that led to incarceration, I can tell you that it isn’t easy to turn the other cheek when you have pinned up aggression. I would even argue I would have an even more difficult time doing this than most people. It wasn’t until I became a Christian and started to work through my pain and aggression that I learned ways to cope and process reality without being quick to judge and becoming frustrated or enraged at others. This week’s readings point out that most decisions involve a two-step process (2018). Our automatic system is quick to react and makes a rudimentary judgment based on emotions and intuition (2018). This too can be equally said of others, and although I have control of this automatic response I have to be aware that not everyone does, and when they react in an unfortunate or unacceptable way, I have to be understanding and empathetic.
Let bygones be bygones.
My father used to always say, “Don’t hold grudges, they’ll eat you alive.” This has always served me well in all the relationships I have had. Controlled processing as Described in our textbook cannot do two things at once and is prone to fatigue and distraction (2018). This is true in why my dad would tell me that it would eat me alive. It’s because the grudge wasn’t as important as the rest of my life. He knew from experience that if I didn’t let bygones be bygones I would only focus on this distraction until it got the best of me or I did something stupid. He understood that as a human my life required controlled processing and was easily distracted and to not let feeble things make me lose focus from the bigger picture.
Discussion Prompt 2:
After this week I was pleasantly surprised at what I didn’t know about how as humans we inherently act. I think that everything we discussed in the readings is beneficial in its way to us as leaders. If I had to choose which three concepts stuck out to me the most, I would choose evolution and the biased brain, central social motives, and mental time travel.
Understanding evolution and how our brain is inherently biased is paramount to understanding why we make good and bad decisions as leaders. The fact we have believed for centuries that we make the right and rational decisions when we are cognitive misers that take shortcuts and use rules of thumb is naive of us (2018). We ignore mass amounts of data based on predisposed opinions that are generally baseless and lack foundational truths. We are basically guessing at life, and this strategy based on intuitions can be efficient but also could be catastrophic for leaders. Our inherent nature of tribalism limits us to social communities of no more than 150 people. We have built-in brain blindspots that keep us from interpreting reality as it truly is. These are just a few examples of why having a strong knowledge of what makes us tick as humans can help us become better leaders.
As human beings, we gravitate towards feeling good and satisfied. We use social motives to shape our thinking, emotions, and relationships (2018). Cultures, personalities, and situations all affect how humans pursue these social motives and to what extent. Some examples are belonging, understanding others and predicting accurately, control, a need to matter, and trust. Understanding our social motives can help us to recognize social cognition and our behaviors as leaders. This will help us to predict the results of our decisions and make us better decisive leaders.
Predicting the future and recalling the past vividly is probably something every human wishes for, but if possessed would be a nightmare. We need constructive predictions to help us make goals, take risks, and be determined to do it. I will be honest, I am guilty of overestimating the emotional impact of future events, and the length of my reaction (2018). I get anxious just thinking about future events and the effects they may have on me positively or negatively, and once it passes it is never the outcome I expected. I believe it is healthy to be trepidacious but also not cower in fear. This is why making plans and setting goals is paramount to success as a leader. Being aware of the human tendency to misconstrue the future with overt optimism and minimal realism will benefit any leader in making realistic goals and plans.
I will say that after reading this week’s readings I felt like as humans we were highly irrational and hopeless. But I felt that would be the irrational side of me thinking that way so I decided to see it through the lens of a rational human being that isn’t quick to judgment. There are positive parts to our biases, they are adaptive and malleable. Being a cognitive miser has its benefits, and getting through the day by exhausting the least amount of energy is a win for anyone.
References
Aronson, E., & Aronson, J. (2018).
The Social Animal. Worth Publishers, Macmillan Learning.
Hogg, Michael (2010). Influence and Leadership. Fiske, Susan T., et al.
Handbook of Social Psychology, 5th edition, John Wiley, 2010 (Chapter 31).
Prompt 1 Answer: 250 WORD RESPONSE
Opposites Attract
The proverb “opposites attract” is supported by the idea that being a member of a group creates an
us v them mentality. Tribal thinking separates people into categories; this way of thinking will contribute to seeing the people in the outgroup as vastly different from those in the ingroup. Yet, they see the outgroup as homogenous. People will view their own ingroup as being more unique and varied, and they might hold the belief that “opposites attract” because they see greater diversity among the group.
While the cat’s away the mice will play
Based on the “Social Influence: Crash Course” video, two experiments support the proverb “while the cat is away, the mice will play.” In one experiment, blindfolded students exerted 20% less effort in a game of tug-of-war when they thought they were part of a team. The term social loafing is that when people are in a group they often “exert less effort toward attaining a common goal.” In another experiment, the Milgram Experiment, volunteers sent electric shocks to “participants” if they gave an incorrect answer. If the volunteers refused to shock someone, the authority figure told them to do it. This experiment found that “obedience was highest when the person giving the orders was nearby.” Based on these two experiments, we can imagine a work situation where the boss is away and the team is less productive because they are working as part of a team and there is no one near them to demand obedience.
Fight fire with fire and
Let bygones be bygones
I think humans’ initial reaction would be to “Fight fire with fire.” Aronson states that humans are “wired for prejudice and aggression” (2018) which could imply that turning the other cheek is not our first, automatic response. As humans are motivated by the need to be in control to “direct our own actions and make things happen,” then the idea of doing something aggressive as a response is an ultimate act of feeling in control of a situation. The seemingly opposite proverb, “let bygones be bygones” can be supported by the need for trust. People want to see the world as fair; if something occurs to break the trust we may resort to distorting “our view of the world to […] maintain our underlying faith in a benevolent world.” Therefore, people may be more apt to let things go to maintain their, possibly distorted, view of the world. (Aronson, 2018)
Prompt 2 Answer:
Based on our readings, three concepts I would consider to be the most powerful in leadership are the social motives, growth mindset, and giving reasons for a favor.
Aronson states that we do our best work when we
belong, we have a sense of certainty, we have choice and control, we matter, and we trust each other (2018). I hear leaders talk a lot about wanting people in their team to feel like they belong, but how do they really do that? As a leader, if we consider each of these aspects, we can support people with finding their place in our team. Once they feel like they are an integral part of the team, when they feel like they matter, and the work that they do matters, then they will take the initiative to grow and learn and be better. If we also take into consideration the idea that rejection “is the most painful experience for human beings,” this heightens the importance of making sure team members have meaningful connections with others on the team. This includes allowing different voices to be recognized and valued.
Including people and diverse perspectives brings us to an important component of addressing social motives: bias and controlled processing. We all have biases; what we do with that bias can influence our perspectives, who we invite to the “table,” and how we make decisions. The Smithsonian’s “The Bias Inside Us” traveling exhibit encouraged people to know their bias, take responsibility, make a change. To do this, leaders must acknowledge their bias and invite their team to do this as well (this can only be done in a place of trust, see social motives). The team needs to be given time and information to use controlled processing to “modify the initial impression” that they may have made based on their bias. This process of “checking our biases” can further the team’s sense of belonging, trust, and feeling like they matter.
The second concept is growth mindset from Carol Dweck. It is important to support the idea that team members can develop the
belief that they can grow and learn from their mistakes. Mistakes are not an internal failing, but an external opportunity to learn from. In her TedTalk, Dweck discusses the concept of “not yet,” which is how people with a growth mindset address a challenge or struggle. With a growth mindset we can “see other people as sources of inspiration and knowledge,” which can influence how we learn from each other and how we learn from ourselves (Aronson, 2018).
Finally, Cialdini describes a study done by Ellen Langer that shows that people are more likely to do us a favor when “we provide a reason.” My first mentor in education told me that if I explained the reason to my students, they would be more apt to go along with it. She was correct. I noticed it her own leadership style as well. She might make a request that, in other circumstances, people would ignore or bristle over, but once she explained the “why,” people were more likely to carry out her request. Providing the reason is also a way for a leader to show trust in team members, which goes back to the importance of fulfilling the social motives.
