{"id":1212,"date":"2019-09-27T11:48:52","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T15:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/?p=1212"},"modified":"2021-07-27T18:24:47","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T22:24:47","slug":"seizing-an-opportunity-for-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/seizing-an-opportunity-for-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"Seizing an Opportunity for Unity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Unity.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"124\" height=\"98\" src=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Unity.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1628\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Phone calls from your alma mater. Direct mail appeals featuring swoon-worthy puppies. Requests to buy Girl Scout cookies as you\u2019re leaving the grocery store. We\u2019re exposed to more fundraising pleas than ever before, so what is it that persuades us to feel philanthropic and reach into our wallets? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u2022&nbsp; \u2022&nbsp; \u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the early 1990s, two professors took a closer look at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"the social psychology behind giving (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/20854966\/A_Relational_Obligations_Approach_to_the_Foot-In-The-Mouth_Effect\" target=\"_blank\">the social psychology behind giving<\/a>. To study this, three similar researchers were positioned in high-traffic areas of a college campus in Hawaii. They asked passers-by if they\u2019d be willing to contribute to a well-known charity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ask used one of three different scripts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Standard:<\/strong> \u201cHi I\u2019m collecting donations for [charity]. Could you contribute something?\u201d <\/li><li><strong>Feeling:<\/strong> \u201cHi How are you feeling today?\u201d [Wait for response, then acknowledge it.] \u201cI\u2019m collecting donations for [charity]. Could you contribute something?\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Relation:<\/strong> \u201cHi, are you a student here?\u201d [Wait for response.] \u201cThat\u2019s great,\u201d the researchers responded. \u201cSo am I,\u201d they\u2019d say to students; \u201cI\u2019m a student here,\u201d they\u2019d say to teachers. They followed with the same ask: \u201cI\u2019m collecting donations for [charity]. Could you contribute something?\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When people agreed to contribute, the researcher would thank them and explain that it was just a study. (It\u2019s the thought that counts!) Which script do you think yielded the most success?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u2022&nbsp; \u2022&nbsp; \u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through his research, Robert Cialdini identified <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"six principles key to persuasion (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/28815.Influence\" target=\"_blank\">six principles key to persuasion<\/a>. Then, in Cialdini\u2019s 2016 book, <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/29238799-pre-suasion\" target=\"_blank\">Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade<\/a><\/em>, he established a seventh principle: unity \u2013 the categories we use to define ourselves, i.e. a shared identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA key characteristic of these categories is that their members tend to feel at one with, merged with, the others. They are the categories in which the conduct of one member influences the self-esteem of other members. Simply put, we is the shared me,\u201d wrote Cialdini. The more we perceive people are part of \u201cus,\u201d the more likely we are to be influenced by them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his book, <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"The Descent of Man (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/185407.The_Descent_of_Man\" target=\"_blank\">The Descent of Man<\/a><\/em>, Charles Darwin wrote, &#8220;If one man in a tribe\u2026 invented a new snare or weapon, the tribe would increase in number, spread, and supplant other tribes. In a tribe thus rendered more numerous there would always be a rather better chance of the birth of other superior and inventive members.\u201d Since way back in the day, being accepted and valued has been key to survival. Though we\u2019re not fashioning bows and arrows to get ahead in the world today, the concept of <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"group selection (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Group_selection\" target=\"_blank\">group selection<\/a> endures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/luca-bravo-fvCoCQ3q5Ho-unsplash.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/luca-bravo-fvCoCQ3q5Ho-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1683\"\/><\/a><figcaption> Photo by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@lucabravo?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Luca Bravo<\/a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/hawaii?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Travelling back to Hawaii (We wish!), the standard, straight-to-it donation ask resulted in a success rate of only about 10%. When researchers first asked about and acknowledged the person\u2019s feelings, the rate jumped up to 25.5%. Most impressively, when researchers disclosed that they were students, almost half of people (47.1%) agreed to contribute. By establishing a personal connection (\u201cI\u2019m a student here.\u201d), the contribution rate jumped significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u2022&nbsp; \u2022&nbsp; \u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As humans (You\u2019re human, right?), we\u2019re hard-wired with a need to belong. The <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"brain reacts similarly (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.scn.ucla.edu\/pdf\/Pains&amp;Pleasures(2008).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">brain reacts similarly<\/a> to social pains and pleasures as it does to those of the physical variety. Knowing this, how can employers create unity among employees? Establishing relatedness and connections <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"\u201cmay be the greatest opportunity for leaders and individuals to create a thriving workplace\u201d (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/rodgerdeanduncan\/2019\/09\/19\/motivation-that-works-helping-people-thrive-in-the-workplace\/#516d927c336e\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cmay be the greatest opportunity for leaders and individuals to create a thriving workplace.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" style=\"font-size: 1.0rem;float: right;width: 40%;margin-left: 20px;margin-bottom: 0;padding: 20px 0 0 20px;border-left: 3px solid #4E4ED8\"><p><strong>\u201cA culture of psychological safety enables employees to be engaged. They can take risks and experiment.\u201d <br>-Jake Herway, Gallup\n <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>When employees feel united, they feel psychologically safe \u2013 like they can be themselves. In a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Gallup article (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.com\/workplace\/236198\/create-culture-psychological-safety.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Gallup article<\/a>, Harvard Business School professor Dr. Amy Edmondson shared that \u201cpsychological safety predicts quality improvements, learning behavior and productivity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why does your company really exist? By clearly communicating your shared mission and values, you can initiate feelings of unity \u2013 of caring. If your employees feel like a tribe, regardless of level or department, you can create a more harmonious and unified company culture. As an extra perk, your company can benefit financially, given that <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"a sense of belonging can be a better motivator for some employees than money (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2012\/08\/120806125918.htm\" target=\"_blank\">a sense of belonging can be a better motivator for some employees than money<\/a>. Cha-ching! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can apply the principles of unity to improve compliance, too. Put your mission, values, and other \u201ccultural\u201d information in your <a href=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\">employee handbook<\/a> right before or next to your company policies. It\u2019ll serve as a reminder that you\u2019re all in this together and that the policies are there for the betterment of the entire tribe. A united employee is a <s>less litigious<\/s> compliant employee! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unity is about invoking feelings of \u201cwe\u201d and \u201cus.\u201d After all, we\u2019re more likely to be swayed by people within our group, our pack, our posse. By the way, where did you go to college? No way! I went there, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phone calls from your alma mater. Direct mail appeals featuring swoon-worthy puppies. Requests to buy Girl Scout cookies as you\u2019re leaving the grocery store. We\u2019re exposed to more fundraising pleas than ever before, so what is it that persuades us to feel philanthropic and reach into our wallets?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,4,23,25,5,47,77,70,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-change-management","category-company-culture","category-cya","category-employee-handbooks","category-engagement","category-handbook-content","category-pop-psych","category-psychology","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1212"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1684,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1212\/revisions\/1684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}