AMS - Helping People Work Together

Winter 1999

Happenings - What's New with AMS

Perspective - Recession-Proofing Your Organization

Employee Satisfaction - "Why Does There Seem To Be More Mean, Rude Behavior In The Workplace?"

Helpful Tips - How To Save Time...Make Meetings More Productive

Human Behavior:
Getting People Working Better Together to Achieve Better Results

The Harvard Business Review contained an interesting article titled "How Hardwired Is Human Behavior?" It dealt with the evolutionary psychology of humans as a successful species and had some interesting observations about genetics, behavior and why it can be difficult to get people working together effectively. Here are some highlights:

From our earliest existence, we have been programmed to use instinct or "emotional radar"; this means people are very sensitive to incoming signals, especially negative or potentially threatening ones.
Impact - we have an emotional as well as logical reaction to feedback or criticism; there's a human tendency to remember negatives more strongly than positives
Humans tend to avoid risk or possible loss, except when threatened
Impact - when times are good, it's hard to get people to change
We tend to be confident of our survival, and may think we're doing better than we really are
Impact- unjustified optimism, possibility of missing clues that things are not going well
Early humans learned to sort and classify situations quickly:food, plants, other creatures
Impact - we judge by appearances and may stereotype other individuals or groups
As social beings, early humans were comfortable in families and small groups
Impact - people interact less effectively in larger group situations (>150 people)
In group settings, people seek to impress others by engaging in contests and display
Impact - competition for status may be inevitable, i.e. the corner office, bigger budget, etc.
Humans seek to quickly identify group power shifts through information gathering
Impact - the "grapevine" is probably a fact of life, although the more information that is publicly shared, the less the need to gossip.

There are several implications for managers:

Recognize that people hear bad news first and loudest, even when the rest of the news is good. When giving performance feedback, emphasize positives as well as areas needing improvement.
Expect people to resist changes unless there is a clear threat or dissatisfaction with current conditions. Make it clear why changes are needed.
Anticipate some complacency or reluctance to accept the reality of work-related challenges. Support your case with facts, figures and evidence of the need for improvement.
Don't expect people to automatically work together. Clearly communicate your goals, define work group roles and responsibilities, monitor and provide feedback on progress, insist on active cooperation and feedback between departments.
Remember: the things that get rewarded get done. Create group and team-based incentives. Use recognition and rewards to encourage teamwork as well as outstanding individual contributions.

NEXT: Is There More Rude Behavior in the Workplace?