The Independent Spirit?

Many of us like to think that we are free thinkers, opinion makers, and we are able to make critical decisions without being told what to do or how to live.  Americans especially pride themselves on their independent spirit. After all, that spirit of free thinking is what started a revolution and created this country.  It truly is that independent spirit that makes the USA great.  People from around the world do what they can to be here to live free as well.  But, what if that independent spirit is also our Achilles heel?

In business, organizations love to say that they are seeking open-minded individuals, people who will think outside the box and be innovative.  To that I say - B. S. - NO YOU DON'T!!  Organizations truly seek people who are just like them (zebras with the same stripes, no giraffes allowed). Humans need to face reality - we are social individuals who are truly influenced by the world around us.  We are truly influenced by the little microcosm which we live in: our work, our friends, and our family.

Below is a great blog from Positive Acorn ( http://positiveacorn.com/blog). In this blog they mention the term Group Behavior Contagion. Group Behavior Contagion -  is defined as conformity, imitation, social pressures, and social facilitation in the world of psychology.  In layman's terms ~ we are influenced by those around us. Now, it isn't necessarily a bad thing - if you have friends and family that eat healthy and exercise, you are more likely to do the same.  But, how many of us have social circles that eat poorly, drink too much, and are a bit to couch bound?

Even in the corporate world Group Behavior Contagion all too often has many negative consequences - take for example an Over-Confident organization, one which thinks their way is right and doesn't need to change.  In the news recently has been Yahoo. Soon to be gone are the days that their employees could work from home. How will this new policy affect the productivity of the organization? How will making everyone come in and work from a cubicle effect employee loyalty or innovation?

Take the opposite, an Under-Confident organization, which enables their people to feel insecure with their job or the product their delivering to the masses. There may not be strong leadership (leadership turning over could be a problem). Leadership deosnt' showcase good decision making, nor does it promote a middle management level that knows that they are doing either.  How will Group Behavior Contagion affect this organization?

As the blog below states - Behavior is contagious - what behaviors do you want people in your organization or personal life to emulate?  As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "be the change you wish to see in the world."

Enjoy!!

Welcome to the Good Life! The Latest in Positive Psychology

WARNING: Behavior is contagious! by Jessica Austin The scene: there are three college students sitting in a small room. Each is filling out a questionnaire for the research study for which they have volunteered. One of them casually glances up to notice what appears to be smoke in the seam of the doorway. He then looks to the other students sitting in the room with him. They too look up and see the smoke, now billowing into the room, filling it with a grey cloud. They all look at each other for clues about how they should react. Instead of getting help, they sit in the chaulky cloud and continue to fill out the questionnaire. From the time we were very young, we have been taught that smoke means danger. Why then would three very capable people choose to sit in a smoked filled room, potentially risking their lives, instead of seeking help? The short answer is this: "we do as others do." Take a moment to go back in time with me. To a time when your father challenged your way of thinking by asking the age old question "if your friends jump off a cliff, are you going to?" We'd all like to believe that we can think for ourselves-- that others don't have a huge influence on how we make decisions. The fact is, when we are in groups, we often look to others to provide cues for how we should behave. Research shows that this happens in more situations than just emergencies. Group behavior contagion happens in all sorts of relationships and in all sorts of ways. Those who have friends that drinkalcohol excessively are more likely to drink to excess themselves. This phenomenon also happens with fashion and even with obesity! Harvard researchers followed 12,067 people over the course of thirty-two years and found social contagion in many instances. In the event that someone becomes obese, their friends are three times more likely to become obese than the average person. But this contagious effect in groups isn't always negative. There is a plus side to behavior contagion. Along with with downfalls, research also shows that people who are friends with happy people are more likely to be happy themselves. Not only that, but that the friends of friends of happy people are also happy. It's like a domino effect with an upswing! So what do we do with this information? Well, for one thing, it's best to surround yourself with people who are engaged in positive activities. Befriend the people you look up to, and limit the amount of time you spend with people engaged in behaviors that you want to avoid. As a second takeaway, when you see something alarming don't look to others in order to act. If you see smoke coming in from the seam in the doorway...find help! Luckily the college students in the scenario above were part of a controlled research experiment and not in any real danger. We love to hear from our readers. Share with us on facebook your story of "jumping off a cliff" or even better, how you steered away from it! Like us on facebook, follow us on twitter, join us on LinkedIn , by all means share us with your friends and family!