My keynote From ALI 2012 on how cultures hinder innovation. More on the topic in the full Dose of Digital post, found here: http://www.doseofdigital.com/2012/06/panic-overcoming-cultures-fear-age-attention-econom/
7. THE CULTURE OF FEAR IS A TERM USED BY
CERTAIN SCHOLARS, WRITERS, JOURNA
LISTS AND POLITICIANS WHO BELIEVE TH
AT SOME IN SOCIETY INCITE FEAR IN THE
GENERAL PUBLIC TO ACHIEVE PARTICULAR
GOALS, OFTEN BY GIVING
DISPROPORTIONAL ATTENTION TO A
PARTICULAR SUBJECT OR POINT OF VIEW
8. ACCORDING TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
28% OF STUDENTS REPORTED
BEING BULLIED IN SCHOOL
VS.
6% THAT REPORTED BEING
BULLIED ONLINE
HTTP://NCES.ED.GOV/PUBS2011/2011336.PDF
10. CHANGE IS CONSTANT
OH NOES!
WE LIVE IN A CULTURE OF FEAR
THE ATTENTION ECONOMY AMPLIFIES
11. THE ATTENTION ECONOMY
HERBERT SIMON: A WEALTH OF
INFORMATION MEANS A DEARTH OF
SOMETHING ELSE: A SCARCITY FOR
WHATEVER IT IS THAT THIS INFORMATION
CONSUMES. A GLUT OF INFORMATION
CONSUMES THE ATTENTION OF IT’S
RECIPIENTS
12. OUR CULTURE HAS SHIFTED ITS REACTION
TO HARM AND MISHAPS
PEOPLE NO LONGER BELIEVE IN NATURAL
DISASTERS OR ACTS OF GOD. SOMEONE OR
SOMETHING IS RESPONSIBLE, AND
THEREFORE MISHAPS ARE REDEFINED AS
PREVENTABLE INJURIES
13. WHICH LEADS TO A VICTIM MENTALITY
PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER EXPECTED TO
RISE ABOVE DIVERSITY
AS SUCH, MISFORTUNES HAUNT PEOPLE
AND ORGANIZATIONS AND THE ‘VICTIM’ IS
VIEWED AS SOMEONE WHO SHOULD HAVE
KNOWN BETTER OR SEEN THIS COMING
14. WHICH LEADS TO WORST CASE THINKING
THE FEAR THAT ANY ACTION LIKE
INVENTING A NEW MEDICINE, LAUNCHING A
NEW PROGRAM OR OPENING PREVIOUSLY
CLOSED GATEWAYS MAY HAVE
CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES
YES, BUT WHAT IF... DECREASES OUR
CULTURAL CAPACITY TO DEAL WITH
UNCERTAINTY
16. BY ITS NATURAL CONCLUSION,
RISK BECOMES SOMETHING TO
AVOID, NOT AN OPPORTUNITY
TO BE SEIZED
18. THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE:
THE DEMAND THAT INNOVATORS PROVE
THAT THEIR INVENTIONS WILL NEVER
CAUSE HARM BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED
TO DEPLOY OR SELL THEM.
ROUGHLY TRANSLATED:
IF AN ACTION MIGHT CAUSE HARM,
INACTION IS PREFERABLE
19. CHANGE IS CONSTANT
OH NOES!
WE LIVE IN A CULTURE OF FEAR
THE ATTENTION ECONOMY AMPLIFIES
OUR BRAINS ARE NO HELP
20. THE AVAILABILITY BIAS:
IS A TERM THAT DESCRIBES HOW THE
PREFRONTAL CORTEX EVALUATES RISK
BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF SIMILAR
SITUATIONS IT CAN REDILY RECALL WHEN
MAKING DECISIONS
22. ANCHORING:
IS A TERM THAT DESCRIBES THE COMMON
HUMAN TENDENCY TO RELY TOO HEAVILY,
OR "ANCHOR," ON ONE TRAIT OR PIECE OF
INFORMATION WHEN MAKING DECISIONS
23. QUESTION:
DEB IS BUYING A CAMERA ONLINE AND
NEEDS A CASE TO GO WITH IT. IN WHICH
CIRCUMSTANCE IS SHE LIKELY TO BUY A
MORE EXPENSIVE CASE?
•WHEN A WEB SITE RECOMMENDS A CASE TO HER AS SHE’S
PURCHASING THE CAMERA
WHEN SHE REALIZES LATER THAT SHE NEEDS A CASE
NEITHER OF THE ABOVE
24. COGNITIVE BACKFIRE:
IS A TERM THAT DESCRIBES THE
PHENOMENON THAT WHEN PRESENTED
WITH FACTS THAT CONTRADICT DEEPLY
HELD BELIEFS, THESE BELIEFS BECOME
MORE REINFORCED, NOT LESS
27. CHANGE IS CONSTANT
OH NOES!
WE LIVE IN A CULTURE OF FEAR
THE ATTENTION ECONOMY AMPLIFIES
OUR BRAINS ARE NO HELP
WHICH BRINGS US TO YOU
28. MY 5 STEP
PROGRAM TO
GUARANTEE*
SUCCESS
* NO ACTUAL GUARANTEES WILL BE PROVIDED
29. 1. ALIGN WITH CORE ORGANIZATIONAL
BELIEF SYSTEMS
2. FOCUS ON THE RIGHT PROBLEMS
3. CHANGE THE LANGUAGE
4. BROADEN THE SCOPE
5. PAY A COMPLIMENT
FEAR GRABS OUR ATTENTION, GETS CLICKS, VIEWERS AND AD REVENUE. THE BIGGER THE FEAR MONGER, THE LARGER THE AUDIENCE. THE INTERNET RUNS ON KNEE-JERK REACTIONS
“ BULLYING” YEILDS 19,000,000 HITS, SUGGESTING THE ONLINE FOCUS OF CYBER GETS MUCH MORE OF THE ATTENTION FEAR GARNERS ATTENTION. PAGE VIEWS, CLICKS, AD REVENUE
WHILE A SEARCH FOR PHARMA SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS REVEALS ALMOST 5 MILLION MORE HITS, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS TALKED ABOUT AND REMEMBERED? FAILURE IS EASY TO TARGET, SOCIAL FACES AN UPHILL BATTLE SOCIAL DOESN’T STAND A CHANCE
OUR BRAINS ARE BEING FLOODED WITH INFORMATION. IT’S TOO MUCH TO PROCESS.
ROUGHLY TRANSLATED: SH*T NO LONGER HAPPENS, IT WAS CAUSED, AND THEREFORE WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITY IN THE OUTCOME
STRANGE PARADOX, THE VICTIM IS RESPONSIBLE
TO BE CALLED A RISK TAKER USED TO BE CONSIDERED A COMPLIMENT, NOW IT CARRIES A GENERALLY NEGATIVE CONNOTATION IN PHARMA, NO ONE IS CRITICIZED FOR NOT TAKING RISKS
BUSINESS OUTCOMES AND PROJECT GOALS BECOME SECONDARY TO CREATING SAFE-HARBOR ZONES TO MINIMIZE LIABILITY AND RISK
SO WE HAVE FEARMONGERS, CLAMORING FOR OUR ATTENTION, AND CULTURE BEING DEFINED BY THIS. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
FEAR GRABS OUR ATTENTION
PEOPLE PICK STOCKS BASED ON PAST PERFORMANCE, WHEN THAT HAS NO CORRELATION TO FUTURE PRICE
AS A SECOND EXAMPLE, IN A STUDY BY DAN ARIELY, AN AUDIENCE IS FIRST ASKED TO WRITE THE LAST TWO DIGITS OF THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND CONSIDER WHETHER THEY WOULD PAY THIS NUMBER OF DOLLARS FOR ITEMS WHOSE VALUE THEY DID NOT KNOW, SUCH AS WINE, CHOCOLATE AND COMPUTER EQUIPMENT. THEY WERE THEN ASKED TO BID FOR THESE ITEMS, WITH THE RESULT THAT THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS WITH HIGHER TWO-DIGIT NUMBERS WOULD SUBMIT BIDS THAT WERE BETWEEN 60 PERCENT AND 120 PERCENT HIGHER THAN THOSE WITH THE LOWER SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS, WHICH HAD BECOME THEIR ANCHOR. [4]
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS 1. IF DEB IS BUYING AN EXPENSIVE CAMERA, THE COST OF THE CASE SEEMS MINIMAL IN COMPARISON TO THE COST OF THE CAMERA. A $30 CASE LOOKS A LOT CHEAPER NEXT TO A $600 CAMERA THAN WHEN A SHOPPER COMPARES IT TO OTHER COMPARABLE CAMERA CASES.
“ THE GENERAL IDEA IS THAT IT’S ABSOLUTELY THREATENING TO ADMIT YOU’RE WRONG,” SAYS POLITICAL SCIENTIST BRENDAN NYHAN, THE LEAD RESEARCHER ON THE MICHIGAN STUDY. THE PHENOMENON — KNOWN AS “BACKFIRE” — IS “A NATURAL DEFENSE MECHANISM TO AVOID THAT COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.” YOU CAN’T OVERCOME FEAR WITH FACTS
“ THE GENERAL IDEA IS THAT IT’S ABSOLUTELY THREATENING TO ADMIT YOU’RE WRONG,” SAYS POLITICAL SCIENTIST BRENDAN NYHAN, THE LEAD RESEARCHER ON THE MICHIGAN STUDY. THE PHENOMENON — KNOWN AS “BACKFIRE” — IS “A NATURAL DEFENSE MECHANISM TO AVOID THAT COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.”
HAVE A MISSION OR A CREDO? ALIGN TO THAT. ITS A DEEPER HELP BELIEF. YOU CAN’T OVERCOME IRRATIONALITY WITH FACTS OR DATA WHAT IS THE CUSTOMER OR PATIENT PROBLEM YOU ARE TRYING TO SOLVE? TELL STORIES LANGUAGE MATTERS, BLOGGER VS ONLINE JOURNALIST GAMING, CONNECTIONS, MOBILE COMPARISONS PRIMES THE BRAIN FOR POSITIVITY