[MUSIC] The next problem is a bit subtle, but it's actually something that causes a lot of damage in teams. Which is when people kind of miss perceive what everyone else in the group thinks. And they start to feel like they're a deviant in the group, when in fact everyone privately agrees with them, but for some reason, nobody talks. >> Yeah. >> And so, everybody has misgivings or questions, but they withhold them because they think they're the only one. And so, we're going to talk about why that happens, and how that's so damaging for creativity. Right, group supply, conformity pressure, and blind obedience, these are always a block in the exchange of perspectives but they can also make people feel alone and deviant. So I'll give you an example that illustrates this. Social psychologist in the 1930s once traveled to a Puritan Community to study norms around drinking and gambling. And he asked about the norm, and at least in public, everyone insisted that drinking and gambling was something that was frowned upon, and that no one would succumb to such evil vices, right? So the community was staunchly against drinking and gambling because they were a good, obedient, Puritan Community. But privately, our fun loving psychologist spent each evening with a different family, in their homes, drinking and gambling. And the curious thing is that each family insisted that they were the exceptions. We're the only ones who would do such a thing, so please don't tell anyone. And what was happening was that these families actually misperceived the true norm, they weren't deviant, in fact, they were exactly like everyone else. Everyone was hanging out in the privacy of their own homes in drinking and gambling. So sometimes we think we're deviant for holding a different perspective and so we remain silent. And the silence allows misunderstandings to continue unchecked. Right, so the story about Puritans drinking and gambling rampantly in the privacy of their own homes- >> [LAUGH] >> It's an interesting story but really, it's really pointing to a broader phenomenon that happens in all kinds of different contexts. And the question is, why does this happen? >> Why do people remain silent? Why do people not realize what everyone else thinks? >> Yeah, so one reason is that often the norm can be reinforced by a really small minority of people who have a lot of status or a lot of power and they kind of force their view over everybody else but people privately don't really agree with it. >> Yeah. >> But they're reluctant to speak out. >> Yeah, I had an example of that from a student in one of my classes. >> Yeah. >> He's telling me a story, his father was a chair of the board. >> Yeah. >> And for whatever reason had to miss a board meeting. >> Yeah. >> So somebody gets up and says, we all believe it's time for a new board chairman and we're going to vote on that. Are you with us? >> Yeah, right. [LAUGH] >> And three people got everyone else to vote to replace the board chair, right? And it was only three people, but everyone figured, they're not getting up there unless they got everyone, right? >> Yeah, and so there's an element of conformity, which we've talked about, but there's also the sense of, I really believe that because no-one else is speaking out, >> Exactly. >> That everyone else is on board, and I'm just this sort of outlier. >> I'm the lone deviant. >> Yeah, so I better just be quiet. But, in fact, everybody privately has the same misgivings you do, and it's hard to get out of that, right? >> Yeah, I thought that you thought, that okay. >> Right, yeah, so another example is something called conservative lag, which is just that maybe the norms were accurate at some distant point in the past but things change but people fail to update their understanding of what the norm is. >> [LAUGH] >> And so at time one you're accurate at time two you're wildly inaccurate but nobody knows, right? So we haven't updated. >> That's sad, middle age for you. >> [LAUGH] >> I'm still young. >> You still think you can lift that? >> I can do anything. Yeah. >> But it's also also out. So take a little in, right? >> Yeah. >> So anyway, it had bit of reputation for having a good time. >> [LAUGH] >> Right. >> And irrespective of whether we actually do to the same level that we used to, >> Yeah. >> Perform that way, we probably still have the reputation. >> Right. >> Certainly on some days of the years. >> Right, not just an external reputation but everyone here sort of thinks about, that this is such a party school when, in fact, the behaviors that are actually happening aren't in line with that, right? It's not as big a party school as it used to be, necessarily and so these things need to be updated. And they should be updated because there are some real negative consequences to this. One is simply that if I feel deviant, it means that I feel estranged from the group. And so I start to care less and I start to disengage. And so people who are in this situation really feeling like the out alone and sort of misunderstood don't work as hard on behalf of the group. >> Sure. >> And we've seen that creativity requires effort from everybody, right? >> Yeah. >> And so that works against it. >> Well, that's going to take people who might have a different opinion and new perspectives and instead of contributing, they walk. >> Right. >> Yeah. >> Right, yeah, and we're also losing out on the opportunity for people that question things that may not be working. >> Yeah. >> So another example that really hits home with me and you too as professors. When you write. >> [LAUGH] >> When you ask- >> Who raises their hand in class. >> Does anyone have any questions? Right? >> Silence. >> And everyone is secretly thinking I don't know what this guy is talking about. >> Right. >> But they look around and no one is raising their hand, it looks like everybody is crystal clear. And so, everyone's silently sitting there not knowing what the professor's talking about, but yet no one's willing to break that silence. And so, again, we see a missed opportunity to share alternative perspectives and to give the group the opportunity to rethink their point of view. >> Yeah. >> And really break that bubble. >> Yeah. >> And so because everyone's maintaining the silence, it's a really difficult thing to get out of. >> Well there's an element of sort of standing by. >> Yeah. >> Right? >> Yeah. >> That I don't want to be the one to break and I don't want to act in that way. >> Right. >> And so even if there's something that I might want to do, I don't really feel like this is the opening. >> Right, it's the emperor has no clothes, right? >> [LAUGH] >> It's like- >> [LAUGH] >> I don't want to be the one to say that this guy's naked. >> [LAUGH] >> So I'll just keep quiet assuming that everyone's okay with it. >> Yeah. >> And that becomes a problem when the group is careening in a pretty bad direction, right? And nobody says anything. >> Yeah, so we have to adjust and get people to speak up. >> Right. >> Rather than fall pressures to these norms to stay silent- >> Right. >> If we're going to get new perspectives on the table. >> Right. >> And get teams to be creative. >> And that's the challenge we're moving toward. [MUSIC] So in order for groups to be creative, we're really relying on people to express their authentic points of views and share their perspectives with others. But here, again, we see the group sort of work against that by sometimes creating this atmosphere of silence in which people feel like deviants when, in fact, they're thinking the same thing as everyone else. And so the problem is that we allow these mistaken perceptions to go on unquestioned. And these sort of erroneous understandings of what's going on to persist, even though they're completely inaccurate, outdated, or whatever. And so, again, what we see is that teams create the context that promotes silence rather than free expression.
