| The
ways that we think, plan, solve problems, organise and analyse information
all have evolutionary drivers. We can no more train ourselves to
process information differently than we can train ourselves to hear
frequencies outside our normal range.
There
is a very compelling argument that leaders with seven or
less direct reports has a much better chance of accomplishing
goals than if the number were greater.
|
Here
is an example. There has been research that demonstrates clearly
that it takes twice as long for us to process “negative”
words than neutral or positive words. By negative words, we mean
words that have the potential to generate fear reactions. So, “thief,”
“bludgeon,” or “scream” will take us twice
as long to process as “kitten,” “building,”
or “lunch.” Knowing this will not help - you can “study”
for a test of your reaction skills, and you can try really hard
to react in the same way to all words during the study, but it will
take you twice as long to process the fear-inducing words! Our brains
are “hard-wired” to check out even the smallest of threats.
If we cannot change the things that are hard-wired within our brain,
you may ask, then why try to change at all? The answer is reflected
by our success as a species. We are amazingly adaptive. We can change
our thinking, learn new things, adopt new points of view, and choose
to believe things we did not believe before. This ability to adapt
is also part of our incredible brain.
What
is brain science really about and how can we use this more effectively
in building the organisations of tomorrow?
Brain science is about understanding the structures and processes
that operate in our brains. This is helpful as we look to build
more effective organisations because these organisations, and more
critically the people in them, will perform better if the structures
and processes of the organisations align rather than compete with
those in the brain.
One example of this alignment is managing span of control (e.g.,
the number of direct reports a person has). There is a very compelling
argument that leaders with seven or less direct reports has a much
better chance of accomplishing goals than if the number were greater.
Our brains typically have a memory span of five to seven units.
When we exceed this, our brains “chunk” information.
That is, we create, either intentionally or not, aggregations where
the aggregations then are part of the seven possible chunks. Why
create larger spans and force people to try to manage things that
exceed the natural capacity of the brain? There are many other examples
of aligning organisational processes with brain structures, including
managing goal difficulty to an optimum level or dealing with under-performers
without shame or blame. Organisations that get this alignment will
outperform those that don’t, because the former will be getting
higher productivity, higher efficiency, better and more ideas, and
increased commitment out of the people working there.
One
of the most apparent lessons from brain research is that
we vastly overestimate what we can actually change, in ourselves
and others around us. We vastly overestimate what the magnitude
of such a change can be. And we vastly overestimate the
pace of change.
|
How
can we use the lessons from brain science to set goals and interact
with people to help them meet these goals?
This is clearly one of the best places to start applying brain science
in the workplace. One of the most apparent lessons from brain research
is that we vastly overestimate what we can actually change, in ourselves
and others around us. We vastly overestimate what the magnitude
of such a change can be. And we vastly overestimate the pace of
change.
All of us have experienced major change in our lives - just look
at how we have changed from childhood to adulthood. We watch others
do the same. We do not remember how it took specific reinforcement
day after day after day to bring about these changes, and we do
not remember how long, how fast (slow), and how incremental the
change was. Ask yourself, how did you learn to read? Some of you
may remember in elementary school, every single day for months,
saying out loud together, “A says ah-ah-ah; B says buh-buh-buh”
all the way through the alphabet. Let’s not forget singing
the alphabet song, as well. This is sustainable learning - small,
incremental changes over time.
Research points out clearly that setting an intention does not mean
getting action. For most leaders and managers in business, there
is an assumption that just setting the intention (goal) is sufficient.
Results will follow! Because these leaders and managers have not
yet learned how people (and organisations) really change, the critical
steps in coaching and reinforcing the change get neglected. Disappointment
follows.
Setting goals is like setting intentions. Need to lose some
weight? Your goal is to lose 10 pounds over the next six weeks.
Six weeks later, you’ve gained a pound. You thought about
losing weight many times during that six weeks. Why didn’t
it happen? This process is identical to having a goal that says
I will accomplish seven projects throughout the year, or I will
reconcile my accounts monthly, or I will sell 45 units of something
every week. The action comes not from setting the intention or thinking
about it.
What do you do to lose 10 pounds in six weeks, assuming it is a
reasonable goal? People who are successful will understand that
it will take action every single day, that it will affect diet and
activity, that it will be hard and require some form of positive
reinforcement to be sustained, and that other people will challenge
what is happening - “come on, let’s just stop for a
quick beer.”
Setting goals is the first of many steps, requiring attention and
support in various ways. That’s the way our brains work.
What
are the opportunities to use brain science in the area of organisational
development ?
The simplest answer here is that anytime there is human behaviour
involved, there is something to be learned from brain science. And
when are there not people involved? Organisational Development can
be the home of brain science within an organisation in order to
benefit from this knowledge. People who specialise in organisational
development do best when they understand and are fascinated by the
human condition. Bringing both psychology and brain science into
the workplace in effective ways is at the core of organisational
development. 
Debunking
the top three myths about our brain
Myth
1 - We use only 0.1% of our brain.
This is a myth that has been around for many, many years
- that we “only use 10% of our brain,” or even
less. Give this one up! We use 100% of our brain, every
day, all the time. There are parts of our brain that are
working without our conscious awareness, but they are working.
Just because you aren’t aware of it doesn’t
mean nothing is going on. If you have ever known or heard
of someone who has suffered brain damage - through a stroke
or accident for example - you know that even if they have
only had one little part of their brain affected, the damage
is apparent and debilitating. Why do we continue on with
this myth?
Perhaps
it is because it gives us hope of somehow being even smarter
or better than we are. There is indeed hope for this, but
it doesn’t reside in taking advantage of “unused”
portions of our brain.
Myth
2 - We can access all the parts of our brain.
We can only access a very, very small part of our brain.
The rest is working behind the scenes to provide all we
need to be the full human that we are. An example is that
if you spin around until you get dizzy, you cannot then
access the part of your brain that will keep you from falling
down. Believing that we can access and even control every
part of our brain perpetuates the very dangerous idea that
we can “know all” and somehow control everything
about ourselves and our interaction with the environment.
This is dangerous because it sets up an impossible expectation
that we will in fact be in control.
Myth 3 - We can trust our gut and
our feeling of what is right.
If you want to better understand intuition and “trusting
your gut,” you might want to read a book called “The
Gift of Fear” by Gavin De Becker. In his book, De
Becker not only describes how our “gut” is actually
our consolidated memories working for us, but he suggests
ways to increase your safety in life through paying attention
to it.
Personal safety is the best reason to “trust our gut.”
Walking out to your car in a parking lot after dark, stepping
into an elevator with only one person on it, finding yourself
alone on an unfamiliar street - we have all had experiences
where our “uh-oh” alarm has gone off, and trusting
that can only be good. In these cases, it is better to feel
embarrassed by keeping safe than being unsafe because of
embarrassment. This is the fundamental driver of evolutionary
brain wiring!
In short, trusting your gut when you are afraid is sometimes
helpful. The rest of the time, use the best powers of your
brain - knowledge and critical thinking - to meet the challenges
of running a successful business.
|
 |
Richard S. Trafton has a Ph.D. in Psychology
and over 30 years applying the best principles of psychology
to the workplace. In addition to research positions in psychometrics
and human behavior, he has also worked in line and staff positions
in the corporate world, as well as holding faculty positions
in business and psychology. Most recently, Rich was the General
Manager of the Los Angeles office of a large global consulting
firm, where he grew the office by 25% in less than two years.
|
 |
S.
Diane Marentette has over 35 years of experience
working in industry and has a bachelor’s degree in Business.
She spent 11 years in the human resources department of one
of the largest natural gas transmission companies in the nation,
and has almost 25 years consulting to the energy industry,
as well as manufacturing, high technology, construction, and
other industries. Most recently, Diane was a Vice President
and Regional Director of a large global consulting firm, where
she opened a key strategic office and integrated the efforts
of the 13 western-most states in serving clients effectively.
Both
Rich and Diane have held leadership positions in various organizations
and have tested their leadership points of view in real leadership
situations, personally and through work with their clients.
Richard
S. Trafton, Ph.D. and S. Diane Marentette are co-founders
of The New Brain for Business Institute and co-authors of
A New Brain for Business. Find out more at New
Brain for Business. |
|
