Exploring Groupthink

A reader recently posted a comment about whether Amygdala Hijacking might not be connected to the phenomenon of groupthink. I felt it was a great question and worthy of a new post. First, let me share my definitions for both. The amygdala is a tiny little part of the brain which is responsible for scanning one's emotional memories and creating an emotional reaction to a certain stimulus. The amygdala is fast and has the ability to catalyze a reaction even before the cortex (higher logical mind) has the chance to think everything through. Sometimes the amygdala locks in on an emotional memory and catalyzes a reaction that our higher logical mind would not have chosen, thus leading to the idea of "amygdala hijacking".

To put it in another really plain way, amygdala hijacking is the same as jumping to conclusions and getting all freaked out before having the facts.

Groupthink names the phenomenon of a group of people making a collective choice which sometimes goes against what the individual members of the group would have selected on their own. It is akin to the idea of mob mentality - when large crowds become possessed by some drive and the result is often violent. Wikipedia says Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas.

While amygdala hijacking certainly steers individuals off course from time to time, might this also somehow play a role in groups? I think the answer is yes. If the group of people have a shared history and shared experiences then they could just as easily have shared scar tissue around past experiences which went poorly. When a new situation occurrs which is remarkably similar to one of these bad memories there is a strong chance that individuals will experience amygdala hijacking and start to have a negative emotional reaction to the present event -- even if logically it really isn't the same as the bad memory.

But, what I think is even more interesting than an aggregation of individuals each having their own melt down due to amygdala hijacking is the dynamic interplay of their emotional energies in the present moment. Allow me to expand...

When someone near you is angry, stressed, or worried it is easy for that feeling to rub off on you and others. That is because when a person is having a negative emotional experience their Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a chaotic wave which is expressed in the electromagnetic frequency of the heart. Our bodies perceive the electromagnetic frequency of our own heart and take cues on how to behave based on this information. The Institute of HeartMath has demonstrated in their scientific research that the elecromagnetic frequency of the heart can be measured up to 8 feet away. If your body takes cues from your own heart's electromagenetic frequency then isn't it possible for your body to perceive the electromagnetic frequency of another's heart?

We've all seen it happen. Sometimes when you walk into a room you just know that there has been an argument. You can feel the anger in the room even as you enter.

To circle back around to groupthink; because of the shared history individuals can each have a stressful reaction to a new event, AND then the negative reaction can be amplified because several individuals are all having a negative reaction at the same time. Sometimes we sacrifice our individual wisdom in order to keep the peace and avoid the kinds of drama which have occurred in the past.

Sometimes smart people get together and produce illogical results. Sometimes the individual doesn't have the courage to speak up and instead just goes with the flow. Sometimes everyone is that individual and everyone goes with the flow instead of speaking up. In my profession we call this "Going to Abilene" because of a training film by the same name. Four people go to Abilene, Texas, for ice cream and have a miserable time. Later they discover that none of them ever wanted to go in the first place.

Groupthink, or Going to Abilene, is evident in families, organizations, and society. There could be entire chapters of history - dark and traumatic chapters even - which could be the product of groupthink. And all because the gravity and sway of group mentality is sometimes larger and more powerful than individual commitment and courage. This leads me toward exploring The Hero's Quest and why fierce individualism and corageous leadership by one individual is the archetypal solution for Going to Abilene... but that's a whole 'nother post alltogether!

How Exactly Does One Collaborate With Government?

Obama has declared that Government will be Transparent, Collaborative, and Participative. But exactly how we do that remains to emerge. It seem like I'm not the only one who is experiencing the new administration as a force field with a gravity which is pulling me into formation...

Mike Parker, a disabled veteran in rural Indiana, called me at work last week. He'd found me on the web because of an article which I wrote about the history of the Forest Service Enterprise Program. Mike Parker has an idea about turning woodchips into an energy source and creating jobs in his county, where some factories have recently shut down. Mike Parker wants to be part of the solution. He wants to collaborate and participate, but he doesn't know how to "play the game".

I have a soft spot in my heart for people who feel passionate and driven and want to contribute to solutions, so I'm doing what I can to find someone in the agency to talk with Mike about his idea and how to carry it forward. I know that the agency's portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA - the economic stimulus bill) is meant to be used for three main things: 1) create jobs, 2) reduce hazardous fuels (to prevent wildfires), and 3) explore woody biomass as an alternate energy source. So Mike and the Forest Service seem like a good fit, and our new President wants people like Mike to be able to participate.

Here's the frustrating part. Our government is a huge, complex, and unwieldly system which moves very slowly. In order for a citizen to interact with us in an effective way they must possess an extreme amount of patience and some could argue a higher education. I personally think that government is one of many systems which are undergoing major turbulence right now because of its own ineffectiveness, but that's another post altogether.

My team is now getting involved in creating communications products for internal use about the agency's role in economic stimulus. I'm supposted to bend my noodle toward supporting Forest Service employees in understanding our new roles and how to be successful. I'm not exactly tasked with communicating with the public. But tell that to Mike Parker, or to the lady at the coffee shop, or to my neighbors who know I work for the government. Our 35,000 employees are the face and voice of the agency. There's not just a few controllable entry points to pre-packaged and manageable information about the agency's role in Economic Recovery. Any one who wears a green uniform to a grocery store has just become the spokes person for the entire government.

We must tackle our social media learning curve ASAP in order to create containers for all of this stimulating dialogue. We also must support employees in having very basic answers for all their neighbors questions. We are a "can do" organization, we'll find a way to be successful. I just worry that some of us will die trying (stress is one of the top health concerns in the nation).

Change: Are you Weary or Savvy?

These days the only constant is change. For some of us that leads to stress and uncertainty. For others change is an opportunity and a time to be creative. Let’s think about that for a moment. In an organization, first, a change is announced. Then there’s planning and implementation. Then, as the change is assessed we learn that there are more things to change, so the cycle continues, like a ball rolling down a hill (see the blue loop). For those of us who are change weary, we feel stressed when more change is announced and our morale and productivity suffers. And since change keeps happening, we just feel worse and worse (red loop).

But what about those people who see change as an opportunity? When change is announced they think creatively and trust that they will find a positive outcome. This helps them avoid the downward spiral of stress. While they are scanning the horizon for their next steps, their creative thinking helps them turn a change into an opportunity.
Are you change weary or change savvy? Which group of people is probably having more fun at work? Which group of people do you imagine feels healthier? Believe it or not but you have a choice. You can choose to have a negative experience of change, or you can choose to have a positive experience of change. Stay tuned to this blog to learn how to change your experiences and reactions to change and other stressful situations.

Why Wellness is Crucial to your Organization's Success

You probably know that stress related issues are the leading cause for sick days. But you may not know about the important connection between attitude and performance.

When you're under stress, the graph of your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a jagged and herky-jerky squiggle (the red graph on left). But when you're feeling a positive emotion, the graph of your HRV is a smooth and even sine wave (blue graph on left).

Why does this matter? Reasearch conducted by the Institute of HeartMath(R) has demonstrated that important bodily systems, such as the autonomic nervous system and the hormonal system, take cues from the heart. When you are feeling a negative emotion such as stress or frustration, your incoherent HRV triggers the production of cortisol which has been linked to conditions such as

•Accelerated aging (Kerr et al., 1991; Namiki, 1994)
•Brain cell death (Kerr et al., 1991; Sapolsky, 1992)
•Impaired memory and learning (Kerr et al., 1991; Sapolsky, 1992)
•Decreased bone density; increased osteoporosis (Manolagas, 1979)
•Reduced muscle mass (Beme, 1993)
•Reduced skin growth and regeneration (Beme, 1993)
•Impaired immune function (Hiemke, 1994)
•Increased blood sugar (DeFeo, 1989)
•Increased fat accumulation around waist / hips (Marin, 1992)
•Obesity (Marin 1992)
•Diabetes (Nestler 1992)
•Hypertension (Shafagoj 1992)
•Heart Disease (Barrett-Connor 1986)
•Cancer (Bhatavdekar 1994)
•Alzheimer’s (Nasman 1995)
•HIV-related disease (Wisniewski 1993)

When we're stressed, not only are we more susceptible to injury and illness, but we also cannot think as clearly. Stress impairs both memory and creativity. AND, stress is infectious! One grumpy person in an office, complaining at the water cooler, can quickly multiply into many grumpy people.

I consider myself an expert on this subject as I have two certifications from HeartMath, LLC. But you don't have to take my word for it, there are lots of books, webinars, and papers on the subject. I'll add what I can to this blog and provide links for the rest.

I'm committed to growing healthy people, healthy teams, healthy organizations, healthy communities, and a healthy planet. That's why HeartMath resonnates so well with me. I'm truly grateful to all the folks at HeartMath for the good they do in the world.