WE CONSTANTLY ASSESS HOW INTERACTIONS EITHER ENHANCE OR DIMINISH OUR STANDING RELATIVE TO OTHERS AND OUR PERSONAL BEST.

How might this apply to great teams and cultures?

Fear of losing power, fear of losing status, fear of losing rewards, fear of the unknown; fear of undermining credibility, fear of our own ignorance and, fear of how people with different opinions will change the ways we do things around here.Further, dominant groups in an organization in relation to gender, race, nationality, as well as, dominant ways of working, are all motivated to maintain the status quo.

How might this apply to great products?

Are you providing feedback loops and measures to let people know how they are doing? Status is personal—an assessment of our standing relative t others (income, performance, etc.). Status can also be public (scoring, recognition, etc. ). However, studies show that a threat response kicks in when our status seems jeopardized; take care to measure only those things linked to desired behaviors. Also use status to reinforce new skills.

Consider

Dominance amounts to power. Why would you want to give your power away or even share some of it?

See Also

Competition, Reputation, Appropriate Challenges, Feedback Loops, Need for Achievement

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In the whirl of our day-to-day interactions, it’s all too easy to forget the nuances that distinguish great teams, great cultures, and great products/services.

Mental Model Flash Cards bring together insights from psychology into an easy reference and brainstorming tool. Each card describes one insight into human behavior and suggests ways to apply this to your teams as well as the design of your products and services.