Dr. Iyengar assumes that
Americans believe the following when it comes to making choices:
11) Make your own choices,
22) More options leads to better choices, and
33) Never say no to choice.
Reflect on these
assumptions in your Leadership blog. Do you agree with Dr. Iyengar? What is the
implication of her comments on leadership?
Watching the TED talk (TEDGlobal, 2010) covering Dr.
Iyengar’s assumptions regarding choice has caused me to reflect on a leader’s
need to apply critical thinking skills repeatedly. Through her studies, she
illustrates multiple perspectives regarding each assumption, which clearly demonstrate
that US beliefs do not fit all cultures. Dr. Iyengar’s talk serves to illuminate
a pitfall that leaders need to avoid. That pitfall being that one’s point of view
is the only one that matters. Surrounding oneself with people who either think
like you or will not contradict you may lessen the number of difficult
conversations one has in a day. However, the lack of breadth in perspective will
lead to lower productivity, increased re-work, and eventually, higher
turn-over.
Let’s take a look at each assumption. We’ll start
with “Make your own choices.” As a culture, Americans take freedom of choice
very seriously. That culture pervades our company cultures and shows up in our workers
desires to feel they are being heard and that they have say in the choices
being made about the company. On a weekly basis in my office I hear employees
talking about the lack of control they feel because they are more often told
what is going to happen to them than they are asked what they feel should be
done. Morale is impacted and productivity takes a hit. Taking steps to give
workers opportunities to have a say in their future is a cornerstone of good
management.
Dr. Iyengar discusses an interesting data point
regarding assumption two. She notes that when she gives subjects more than 10
options to choose from, they consistently make less skilled choices. There is a
point of diminishing returns on options available. The amount of choices
overwhelms the capability of our mind to rank them and we end up basically
guessing. Currently, I am in the process of looking at applications for a job I
have posted in my group. The number of candidates is higher than 40. I am ranking
the candidates and sorting that number down to something manageable for me. I
tend to prefer a number between three and six. I relate this phenomenon to the
volume knob on a radio. Too much volume can make the music indecipherable. Lowering
the sound level can allow the finer points of the musician’s technique come
through. Too many choices make me feel similarly overwhelmed. Leaders need to
know their comfort level of information.
The last assumption talks about never saying no to
choice, denoting that if you have the chance to make a choice, you should.
Business in the Western Hemisphere holds decision making as a highly sought
after trait in its leaders. Many companies rate and rank their managers based
upon their willingness to step up and make tough decisions. While a majority of
the time I opt to make the decisions presented to me, I believe that there are
times when not making a decision makes sense. Taking an opportunity to allow
your direct reports to make a decision allows them to gain confidence and feel
trusted. Conversely, recognizing situations where it is better to defer a
decision to one’s manager can illustrate your deftness to those above you in
the chain of command.
Viewing Dr. Iyengar’s has helped me consider choices
from a leader’s perspective. I appreciate her clear thoughts and succinct examples.
The discussion causes me to think about the choices I make every day as a
leader and as a person. She also reminds me that my eyesight is something for
which I should always be thankful. Her story about making choices without being
able to see is very thought provoking. I will strive to give more consideration
as to how I describe things to the sighted and the blind.
(TEDGlobal, 2010)
TEDGlobal (Producer). (2010, June
26, 2014). The art of choosing. TED.
[Conference] Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing?language=en#
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