Posted on 10/03/2008 10:30:53 AM PDT by decimon
The way male managers power dress, posture and exercise power is due to humans' evolutionary biology, according to research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Prehistoric behaviours, such as male domination, protecting what is perceived as their "turf" and ostracising those who do not agree with the group is more commonplace in everyday work situations than many of us want to accept, according to the research which was carried out in hospitals.
"This tribal culture is similar to what we would have seen in hunter gather bands on the savannah in southern Africa," says the author of the paper, Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite, from UNSW's Institute for Health Innovation.
"While this research focuses specifically on health care settings, the results can be extrapolated to other workplaces," says Professor Braithwaite.
"Groups were territorial in the past because it helped them survive. If you weren't in a tight band, you didn't get to pass on your genes," he says. "Such tribalism is not necessary in the same way now, yet we still have those characteristics because they have evolved over two million years.
"It's a surprise just how hard-wired this behaviour is," says Professor Braithwaite. "It's predictable that a group will ostracise a whistleblower, for instance. It's not good, but it's understandable in the tribal framework. It explains all sorts of undesirable behaviours, including bullying."
Professor Braithwaite's research is based on hundreds of interviews and observations of health workers over a 15-year period. He used an evolutionary psychology approach – incorporating archaeology and anthropology of the earliest known humans – to compare with modern behaviours.
It is hoped the research can be used to develop strategies to encourage clinical professionals to work together more effectively.
"We need to stop being simplistic and realise that changing behaviours and encouraging teamwork is much harder than we think," says Professor Braithwaite. "Getting different groups together and talking through some of the differences, and appreciating some of the unwritten rules which drive people, are crucial steps in improving trust.
"We also need to re-think education. We train doctors in a completely different arena from nurses and allied health staff, then we bring them together in the workplace after they graduate and expect everyone to be team players," he says. "We need to bring them together much earlier in the educational process."
Other features include:
* Meetings are held in the most senior manager's office, who typically dominates proceedings
* Managers do not spend as much of their time as people think sitting reading quietly, or attending to paperwork in front of a computer. They are out there manoeuvring and positioning at meetings, one-on-one encounters and coffee cliques.
* Managers rarely take lunch or tea breaks
* Non-managerial staff regularly take an allocated period of time for breaks
###
The paper has just been published in the Journal of Health Organisation and Management.
About the Institute for Health Innovation:
Internationally, patient safety is a growing concern. Overseas data reports that patients receive recommended care only 50% of the time. The Institute will investigate how and why this occurs, with a focus on the roles of teamwork, safe medication use and the application of information technology to support improved decision-making.
To see teamwork, look at the infield of a baseball team. The players will give their all and work as one for as long as they are recognized and rewarded for their individual performances. If the players are rewarded or punished as a unit then they will lose their incentive to give their all for the good of the team.
Any thoughts?
Other features include:
* Meetings are held in the most senior manager’s office, who typically dominates proceedings
* Managers do not spend as much of their time as people think sitting reading quietly, or attending to paperwork in front of a computer. They are out there manoeuvring and positioning at meetings, one-on-one encounters and coffee cliques.
* Managers rarely take lunch or tea breaks
* Non-managerial staff regularly take an allocated period of time for breaks
******************
Wow! That must have taken, like, 5 minutes to find that out!
INTREP
Five minutes? Do you realize how many meetings must have been required to reach these conclusions?
This guy believes that he has uncovered the cause of this sort of behavior: Two million years of evolutionary history, giving us genetic modifications which lead to behaviors dealing with status, territory, and group dynamics.
His proposal: Turn it all around with some good psychological counseling.
He's an idiot.
1. Smartest-Guy-In-the-Room Syndrome.
2. Decision by Committee.
3. Constant Group Meetings vs. Individual Responsibility / Accountability
4. Politically Correct HR Departments
5. Celebration of 'Diversity of Workforce' vs. Competence / Achievement
6. Reverse Racism / Quota Hiring Practices / Nepotism
Intelligence Report?
A man stands alone at the plate. This is the time for what? For individual achievement. There he stands alone. But in the field, what? Part of a team. Teamwork... Looks, throws, catches, hustles.Part of one big team. Bats himself the live-long day, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and so on. If his team don't field... what is he? You follow me? No one. Sunny day, the stands are full of fans. What does he have to say? I'm goin' out there for myself. But... I get nowhere unless the team wins.
He's an idiot.
If not an idiot then wrong-headed.
Power dress is to attract high status females.
Posturing is to scare other males away from high status females.
Exercising power is just that. Without exercise it withers and fades away.
I'd focus on that problem. You won't for long give your best if the credit/blame goes to the group or to some select individuals.
“If the players are rewarded or punished as a unit then they will lose their incentive to give their all for the good of the team.
Any thoughts?”
Depends on the individual. I played High School football, and while there was individual recognition, generally we were recognized and dealt with as units, (offense or defense). My motivation was more team than anything else. It seemed that most, not all, but most of my teammates were also motivated by contributing to the team.
But this was 30 years ago. I suppose self interest is much more important now.
The notion that Man is flawed is very old, and in my opinion correct. The notion that man can be "fixed" is rather more recent and in my opinion incorrect.
We are who we are. Individuals sometimes need counseling, sure, but studying a broad group of people over a 15-year period and then deciding that some sort of Big Fix for Humanity is possible is ... well ... wrong-headed.
yup - please see my profile page :-)
I think that's right. It's easy to be giving of yourself when you are young and your real life is all ahead of you. When things get real, and your giving gets you screwed, is when you more want recognition for what you do.
This article is full of baloney.
“If the players are rewarded or punished as a unit then they will lose their incentive to give their all for the good of the team.”
I disagree, in part. I’ve worked very hard these past two years assembling a team of workers with a Team Mentality. HOWEVER, I’ve made darn sure that I’ve identified what their specific strong suits are, and I let them run with them. So, while we function well as a Team, we appreciate the strengths each player brings to our team.
It is the most REFRESHING workplace I have ever worked in; we’re all in this together and we sink or swim together.
My boss, a middle-aged, white female is one of the BEST managers I’ve ever worked for. She and I have a great time each day; we laugh, we collaborate and we get along great. There is no “Alpha Female” cr@p to deal with, and we get rid of non-team-players immediately.
Good list. IMO it is obvious why #4,5,6 are problems; all three run counter to human nature. We have an instinct to distinguish between the competent and the not as competent. It manifests in awards for excellence ... we don’t have awards for mediocrity.
The celebration of diversity vs. competence & achievement/PC HR mentality turns this on its head. It’s an ill wind because the instinct to seek and reward competence is obviously part of our survival toolkit.
Scare tactics (racial) used to hire pollworkers
PIttsburgh Tribune-Review | October 3, 2008 | Salena Zito
Posted on 10/03/2008 8:17:52 AM PDT by Salena Zito
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096666/posts
A show-off? Yeah, right.
Udder Chaos: Middletown Woman Arrested In Cow Suit
WCPO.com | 9/30/2008 | Lance Barry
Posted on 09/30/2008 8:57:04 AM PDT by OCC
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2093987/posts
Woman Wearing Cow Suit Charged With Disorderly Conduct
via CNN.Com | POSTED: 12:00 pm EDT September 30, 2008 | WLWT.com
Posted on 09/30/2008 12:57:40 PM PDT by F15Eagle
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2094225/posts
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