A New Way To Fly

Antedates are fun right? I love them. And if you are still reading you must take a fancy to them every now and then too. So heres this weeks "Remember When" installment.

The year was 1992, the country was still getting over big hair and leg warmers so we could only move up from there. The place was Greenville South Carolina home to Stevens Aviation a little-known aviation sales and maintenance company. Since late 1990 they has been using the (very catchy) slogan Plane Smart in their adverting. They were very pleased with the slogan until they discovered the goliath Southwest airlines had started using the same slogan.

So stop and thing for a second. You are Kurt Herwald CEO of Stevens Aviation you have a few choices here. Legal action, you'd probably win you were using the slogan before the Big Guy after all. But what would the cost be? Thousands, if not hundred of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
What Herwald did was, and Im using technical terms here, was Awesome. He challenged then Southwest CEO Herb Kelleher to an arm wrestling contest, winner keeps the slogan. The Malice in Dallas was born.

An arena was scheduled and hundreds gathered to see the contest. Cheerleaders cheered, booers booed, and shows of goodwill were dripping for the stands. The winner of the best out of three contest was Herwald of the now over night sensation Stevens Aviation. Who, when things couldn't get any better, announced that both companies could use the much loved slogan. EVERYONE WINS.
There are several factors to this story that I love. The first was that Herwald was not quick to involve the law. He used some very creative out of the box thinking to not only solve his problem but create a sensation publicity opportunity, reinventing his company.

The Build Network Staff (2013) has also drawn attention to how the event created amazing unity within each company and between the two. " 'They were so proud of the company and so excited for the visibility that Malice in Dallas gave to their work,' Herwald says. For months and years after the event, the change to company culture was palpable. Employees felt more connected to one another and to their work" (Blitz, 2014)

Despite Southwests stock doubling and a reported 6 million in increased profit (Blitz, 2014) it was the lasting effect on the employees that would be the true winner of the contest. If I am allowed to speculate (its my blog I make the rules) I would guess that this one out of the box crazy idea created the company and the culture that would be able to help it survive out of the attacks of recessions and terrorists.

Check out 6 part Southwest YouTube of the Malice in Dallas
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8C2A0EC0E1E4E69
References
Blitz, M. (2014). How Two Major Companies Used an Arm Wrestling Match Instead of Litigation to  Resolve a Dispute. Retrieved from http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/02/two-major-  companies-decided-use-arm-wrestling-match-instead-lawsuits-resolve-dispute/
The Build Network Staff . (2013). 3 Lasting Lessons from Malice in Dallas. Retrieved from      http://www.inc.com/3-l lasting-lessons-from-malice-in-dallas.html

Angry Birds for Happy Employees

Industry surveys are pointing that the vast majority of cell phone users are using smart phones these days. But you really don't need industry surveys to know that, just go outside or inside anything and you will see empirical evidence to back me up. 

Employers also know this fact and its something thats on their mind. For most employers a smart phone can be seen at its best a time waster, something else that needs to be dealt with. Within other industries a cell phone is viewed as a security issue, think credit card companies or over the phone sales where credit card numbers are thrown around. 

I know for me my phone isn't ever too far away (on average only 11.6 inches away) at any given time. I have been know to turn around and go back three miles when its forgotten. When Im falling asleep its one of the two faces I see before I close my eyes. I wouldn't say it ranks up there with my family, I mean if a masked gunman told me "hand over the iPhone or your kid gets it" I wouldn't hesitate (too long) before tossing my phone over to him. 

Still these gadgets are an important part of who we are today. They are woven into the fabric of our social interactions (for good or bad) and they are most likely not going anywhere, bedsides everywhere with us. So are they all that terrible in the workplace, most of that answer might depend on who you ask, but maybe not.

Kendra Clark (2014) a writer for SIOP seems to feel that the use of smart phones in the work place can aid to and improve an employees sense of well being. Go figure! Results from a very cool study found that when an employee was able to take mirco breaks"Such as texting a friend. a perceived well-being at the end of the work day.The results also show that on days when employees used smartphones more for social media use, they reported higher well-being at the end of the workday than when using their phones for entertainment or personal reasons" (Clark, 2014). 

Most employers are all about a happier work force. When the working stiff is happy tasks are done and everyone is gelling. But at what cost? To play devils advocate Clark looked into that too. Research pointed to employees only spending an average of 20-25 combined minuets a day using a smart phone (Clark, 2014). Thats hardly enough to really damage workplace production. And is comparable to the smoking break a smoking employee might need.

As with EVERYTHING there needs to be limits before that inch turns to a mile. But there is a lot to be said about compromise and who knows this can open up to some wicked office wide Angry Bird competitions. 





Clark, K. (2014). Let Them Tweet!. Retrieved from http://www.siop.org/article_view.aspx?article=1222#.UwUVakJdVI1

Culture and Fundamental Attribution Error- An Essay

Culture and Fundamental Attribution Error

Chris Richards

“Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in.”

Alan Alda

            A large part of human nature is attempting to gain control of the world around us. Sometimes this control is physical other times it is an emotional control. Human being seek to make sense of the situations around them. This control and this sense is the cornerstone of philosophy, science, and everyday life.

            In social situations human nature still attempts to make sense of people and their behavior. Discussed in the following essay will be truths and errors regarding the discovery of the cause of peoples behavior(Attribution Theory, 2011).

            Within social psychology there are many theories that attempt to explain human behavior within a social setting. One theory is the Attribution Theory. The attribution theory states that when a person makes an error they are more likely to attribute it to an outside factor. For instance if a person does not get a job, they may say “The interviewer asked dumb questions”. Distancing themselves from blame.

            The second half of the Attribution Theory is when a person is observed. When another has erred the error is often attributed to inward fault. For example, if a person is late it might be said that they are lazy and irresponsible. This assumption would be based on internal attributions as opposed to even considering any external factors like a sick child or traffic accident as the cause for the tardiness (Attribution Theory, 2011).

            When a person tries to explain or understand another’s behavior in a social setting by focusing on the abilities, personality traits, or skills and any situational or external factors are ignored, a fundamental attribution error has occurred.

            Fundamental attribution errors can occur in every walk of life and in nearly every situation, from in the home to in the work place. However an interesting phenomenon (Langdridge & Butt, 2004) regarding the fundamental attribution error is that it occurs more often in certain cultures. In cultures that are more individualistic, which are typically Western cultures such as The United States, Great Britain, and Australia (Hofstede’s cultural factors, 2011).

            Individualistic cultures value free thinking, autonomy, and individually. They are conditioned to prefer dispositional factors rather than situational factors when socializing. Due to the nature of individualistic cultures, they are more likely to commit fundamental attribution errors (Finkelstein, 2011)

            On the other hand, cultures that tend to be more collectivistic in nature, such as Asian cultures, will be less likely to commit the fundamental attribution error. Collectivistic cultures tend to see the individual as the whole group where in Western individualistic cultures tend to see the person as part of the group if not a separate entity (Bouncken & Lotter, 2008)

            Since collectivistic cultures see themselves as part of the group and equals with others in a group or situation they would be less likely to attribute errors in others as internal or dispositional factors.

            A firm understanding of this principle would be invaluable to those who may travel to cultures that are different from their own. Many business dealings would depend on an understanding of who a client may perceive a social satiation.

            It is not enough to understand human nature from the one perspective. In today’s every growing and expanding marketplace, the world is becoming a very small place. As the world gets smaller mankind will only strengthen its attempt to gain control and make sense of it.

References

Attribution Theory. (2011). Retrieved from

http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/attribution_theory.htm

Bouncken, R. B., & Lotter, F. (2008). Intergrated Learning patterns: A comarison of          Individualism and collectivism cultures. Journal Of The Academy Of Business &            Economics, 8(2), 1-11.

Finkelstein M. (2011), Correlation of Individualism and collectivism: Predicting volunteer             activty. Social Behavior & Personality. Social Behavior & Personality: An International             Journal, 39(5), 597-606.

Langdridge, D., & Butt, T. (2004). The fundamental attribution error: A phenomenological            critique. British Journal Of Social Psychology, 43(3), 357-369.

Hofstede's cultural factors. (2011). Retrieved from

            changingminds.org/explanations/culture/hofstede_culture.htm.

Finding Fit

So I have the cutest three year old daughter. She is the biggest character and has so much personality. Since working at home her and I have gotten really close. Its been fun to be so close to the child rearing action these last few years because I have such a pulse on the important family issues. Like blue shoes.

My three year old has a pair of blue shoes that she thinks, no, that she knows are the most beautiful pair of shoes ever to be created. She saw them at a garage sale and was sold. Even after we tried them on (her not me) and they didn't really fit still they had to be hers.

They were a  bit too tight, but still a little doable, that no mans land where a smart dad would just say no and go to the next garage. But we do have a special connection so I got them. In the car we squeezed her small feet into the even smaller shoes. Her feet looked like bloated sausages that were overpacked. She didn't care. So neither did I. At least for a while.

Soon the shoes there were so blue and so beautiful were proving to be more trouble then they were worth, even at garage sale prices. Every time she wanted to wear them (always) I had to spend 10 minute prying her feet into them, only to have her come crying to me to take them off 7 minuets later because they were cutting off piggy circulation.

I am sure that there are lessons aplenty that we could find in this wee story of woe but the one we are going with today is FIT within shoes is the same within an office place. Being able to hire a person to a job is so much more these days. Not only do they have to be able to complete the duties of the position but are they the right fit for the organization, its culture, and the people within.

Fit within the workplace is not the newest line of research for I/O psychologists but it is a crazy important one. One such psychologist who has made a very good name for herself focusing on fit is Dr. Natalie Baumgartner. I had recently found her TED talk in which she spends a very entertaining and enlightening 9:49 speaking on todays subject.

Passive Aggressive Office Love

To say that a workplace is not unlike a family would be, well right on. Each office I have worked at has had the overbearing mother figure, the cool big sister who is always talking about drinking, and the slightly off uncle who wants you to sit on his lap.

Its traditional characters like that the keep me coming back to work. The other reason (yes there are only two) that keeps me loggin in every morning is to see who else is practicing their brand of passive aggressiveness in the office kitchen.

Thats right folks Im talking about the ancient art of passive aggressive office notes. Nothing gives a person power, courage, and righteous indignation like an anonymous note. So below I have assembled a few of my favorites in no specific order.

An apology goes out to those of you who were looking for an analytical break down of why these notes are written in the first place and how they are helping or hindering workplace moral. Sometimes you gotta laugh not to cry. But if you are still mad, write me a note.

Staying up with I/0 trends

I am a firm believer that staying up on trending subjects is the only way to be the coolest kid in the room. Were I am by far never the coolest kid in the room (or building) I am always trying to be.

One way I try to stay super cool and well informed is by being a member of the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology https://www.siop.org/. (I was not paid for this plug, but I wouldn't say no to some sort of payment wink, wink)

The Social Psychology Network- An Essay

The Social Psychology Network

Chris Richards

      

“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main” John Donne

The poet John Donne made a monumental observation about the nature of human nature. The idea of humanity, at times seems to be a conflicting term, humanity often conjures up thoughts about gathering of all people celebrating in who we are and what we have accomplished. Even though human beings are separated by ocean and deserts, but wealth and poverty there is still connecting lines between the masses.

The study of society from a psychological perspective is categorize as social and cultural psychology. As with all branches of psychology there are principles and theories that manage and drive the field. Within social and cultural psychology there are many theories that move the science forward. The following essay will discuss five theories and the researchers who developed them or continue to help their development.

The first theory highlighted is the Social Cognitive perspective. This theory is currently the dominant theory in social psychology circles. There are many schools of thoughts and several sub- theories regarding the Social cognitive. The Social Cognitive perspective can be described as how a person feels, sees, or thinks about their place in society (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2010).

In the field of social cognitive science there are many researchers and psychologist that have been instrumental in proving and promoting the theory. One such modern day proponent of the social cognitive perspective is Dr. Galen Bodenhausen. Dr Bodenhousen received his Ph D. from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His primary research focus on the nature of stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice (Galen Bodenhausen, 2011).

The next perspective reviewed is the Socio- cultural Perspective. A society is  an organized system of rules and norms regarding people. These rules of society help it function and keep order. The Socio- cultural Perspective helps to explain human behavior through these social norms, beliefs, and values. (Grand Canyon, 2011).

Dr. Ayse K. Uskul from the University of Essex has focused a portion of her research toward progressing the Socio- cultural Perspective. Her research includes collaborative projects focusing on “social, cultural, and religious correlates of attitudes toward interethnic and interfaith intimate relationships” Ayse K. Uskul, 2011p. 1).

            It can be said that a human life is comprised of the experiences and relationships. These experiences can be had on an individual level or collectively. the Phenomenological Perspective “emphasizes the individual's subjective perception and interpretation of the social situation”(Grand Canyon, 2011, p 1). Individuals often mark who they are by how they have survived or weathered a certain experience.

            The Phenomenological Perspective has the ability to be broadly applied to many different fields of psychology. One psychologist who’s research applies to the phenomenological perspective is Dr. Darren Langdrige. Dr. Langdrige received his Ph. D. in Psychology from the University of Sheffield and has primarily focused his studies to the family and sexual identities. Using the phenomenological perspective Dr Langdrige is able to help determine causes for a persons sexual identity based off of experiences they had in their past (Darren Langbridge, 2011).

            Though out  history man has progressed and evolved. Mankind has evolved from a hunter gather to the species today. In social cultural psychology the Evolutionary perspective states that all human behavior can be explained through their biological needs  and traced back to human ancestors and their needs.

            Although the Evolutionary Perspective is often seen as a pseudoscience there are proponents for its research. For example Dr. Ronald Henss among other forms of more fringe psychology studies and researches Evolutionary psychology. Dr. Henss is part of the University of Saarland in Germany.

            The final theory reviewed is Behavioral/ Social learning. The Behavioral/ Social Learning perspective explains behavior as the theory that human behavior is a result from observing others. For example, as a child one hears their parents make a snide remark regarding another race. This observation may then lead that child to have a prejudice against that certain race.

            One of the founding fathers of Social learning or observational learning is Albert Bandura who’s Bozo doll experiment will live as a striking reminder of the power of behavioral learning.

            When researching society it is vital to consider the culture in which that society exists. With in each culture there are nuances, implicit and explicit rules, guidelines that exists and effect the live and behaviors of the members of the society.

            All the theories discussed above can lead to a more vibrant understanding of who a person is and causes for their behavior based off of their society and culture. Then as one comes to understand all the situations and surroundings that would recall certain behavior the road to full understanding is not far off.

References

Aronson, E., Wilson, T., & Akert, R. (2010). Social Psychology (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River,    NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ayse K. Uskul, (2011). Retrieved from http://uskul.socialpsychology.org/

Dr Jeremy Kendal . (2011). Retrieved from http://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/contact/          staffProfile.aspx?sunID=jrk10

Galen Bodenhausen, (2011). Retrieved from http://bodenhausen.socialpsychology.org/

Darren Langbridge, (2011). Retrieved fromhttp://langdridge.socialpsychology.org/

Grand Canyon, (2011). Understanding Social Behavior: Common-Sense vs. Theory. Retrieved      from Grand Canyon , PSY 530