PEOPLE SEEK OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPRESS THEIR PERSONALITY, FEELINGS, OR BIAS.

How might this apply to your business?
How are people allowed to express themselves on your site? Selecting widgets, choosing content to follow or share, using emoticons, and customizing the aesthetics of a page are all ways to enable self-expression. At the simplest level, allowing comments can be a good start, but make sure these efforts are linked back to a person’s profile. How does this translate to self-expression within a team? How are people encouraged and allowed to contribute unique talents, interpret team or organizational values in a way that is personal to them?

Look for ways to surface and celebrate these unique customizations.

See also: Ownership Bias, Loss Aversion, Reputation, Need for Achievement, Visual Imagery, Autonomy

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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.

WE SEEK OUT SITUATIONS WHERE WE CAN EXERT INFLUENCE OR CONTROL OVER SOMETHING.

How might this apply to your business?
Research shows that a perception of greater autonomy increase the feeling of certainty and reduces stress. Especially within larger groups, we want the freedom to make our own choices. What options can you offer to create a feeling of control? How can you introduce choices—even trivial ones—into your system? What can people point to and claim they own or influenced?

See also: Self-Expression, Need for Certainty, Authority, Limited Choice, Ownership Bias

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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.