Episode 97 - Shocking - Decisions Improve When We Consider Others

<h2 data-pm-slice="0 0 []"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p class="">As human beings we often act out of self-interest, but is that the best way to lead others? Recent research sheds a light on whether we make better decisions when considering others.</p> <p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"> </p> <h2><strong>Transcript</strong></h2> <p class="">Hello and welcome to episode 97 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we explore whether we make better decisions when considering others.</p> <p class="">I define leadership as achieving results through people for good. The ‘for good’ element is a values statement on my part - it’s how I would hope leaders would act. I’m sure you would also hope that leaders are aiming for collective benefit more than just self-interest.</p> <p class="">However, it seems when it comes to learning and decision making we are wired to think primarily of ourselves first. Take, for example, experiments where people are asked to learn a new game in return for a cash payout. Participants learn faster and make better decisions when earning money for themselves than when they are earning money for someone else. Self-interest leads them to put more effort and attention into the learning process.</p> <p class="">But what about when there’s a downside? What if, instead of earning money, we are trying to avoid a penalty or harm? Are we still primarily self-interested?</p> <p class="">Recent research using an electric shock game provides an insight into these questions. Now, let’s be honest here - psychologists have had a long and occasionally dodgy love affair with passing electricity through people in the name of science. Remember the time we found out that most people would electrocute others to the point of them pleading for help and becoming unconscious rather than disobey someone wearing a lab coat? Thankfully, we do have some ethics and no one in that famous Milgram experiment was actually delivered an electrical shock - it