For over a hundred thousand years homo sapiens have dealt successfully with huge species-threatening change, with life and death tribal and personal threats, and with normal everyday disruptions. So why is change seen as a challenge for people in the relative safety or our organisations today?
I suggest that we have a distorted view of the nature of human beings and how we deal with change. Modern western society, and bureaucratic organisations and governments in particular, are denying our roots and the basic human instincts that have allowed us to survive and adapt over all those millennia. We have created an image of ourselves as modern, civilised and rational in our organisations and fail to acknowledge that underneath it all, and at the core of our being, we are still that human being that has learnt how to survive and prosper through enormous competition and change.
We act as if humans can be trained to leave their instincts at the door when they come to work and act rationally and professionally at all times. We think that when we encourage people to do this we can get the best performance out of them at work. But this approach is like denying a core part of us that has contributed to the performance that has allowed us to survive and succeed as an amazing species.
Denying the power of human instincts at work
So what would happen if we acknowledged some of the most powerful forces within us that have helped us deal with change over the history of our species, and worked with this, rather than against it, to improve performance in organisations?
Marketers, media, politicians, demagogues, and others have always used this reality to their advantage. But in our bureaucratic organisations it is as if this is our Vauldemort – he who cannot be named. We are too polite, too educated, too civilised, too professional, to speak of such base or irrational things as human instincts at work. And by denying this very important part of human nature, we fail to tap into the potential of human beings to be one of the most adaptable forces of change on our planet.
The myth of the rational man
If you are a manager and you think back over your career and your studies, it’s unlikely you have spent much time researching and thinking about how to understand and harness basic human instincts to improve the effectiveness of leadership, strategy, change and business performance at work.
I have spent many years in leadership roles in large corporations (including in human resources) and many years in tertiary study and professional development activities, primarily in the social sciences. But almost none of this time has been deliberately focused on formally understanding human instincts and harnessing how they affect human behaviour and potential at work.
A focus on harnessing human instincts in order to be a more effective manager would probably be considered unprofessional and not something appropriate in the workplace. Add to this, working in senior roles in large corporate or government systems, a good manager (especially a female manager) must be seen to be rational, systematic, and professional to be taken seriously.
It took many years for me to realise some important facts that were highly relevant to the effectiveness of my work in areas like human resources, business performance improvement and change had been missing from my formal education.
Human physiology and human instincts
Despite us acting at work “as if” people should be rational and logical, and considering it to be a weakness if they are not, at the heart of us all, and at the very core of our brains and our being, basic human instincts that have kept us safe over millennia, influence how we think, feel and act.
In our brains the amygdala is responsible for emotions and instincts intended to keep us safe - like our automatic fight and flight responses. In our gut, microbiome produce chemicals that we are learning can explain “gut reactions” that contribute to some of our immediate autonomic responses to our environment.
People in organisations, whether they are wearing a corporate suit or a blue collar uniform, still react initially with those human instincts. How they manifest in observed behaviour may vary, but we are all human beings under those clothes and our first and quickest reactions are emotional ones.
Leadership and human hardwiring
Much of the accepted wisdom about good leadership practice, human resource management, and change management is based on a view of “rational man” and is either about ignoring the fact that instincts are an important part of human beings, or trying to suppress them. I suggest however that failing to effectively recognise and work with basic human instincts often actually undermines effective performance and change at work and makes good people leadership and the effective implementation of strategy and change much harder than it needs to be, not to mention wasting a whole lot of human potential.
This came together for me a few years ago when I read a book by Andrew O’Keeffe called Hardwired Humans. The whole book is a great read and I commend it to you. The list of 9 human instincts below is O’Keeffe’s summary (p.211) of the work of Nigel Nicholson (How Hardwired is Human Behaviour?, HBR, July 1998) listing instincts that impact most on human behaviour in organisations. I encourage you to read through the list and consider what these mean for how we do things in our organisations, what good leaders need to acknowledge, and how these should affect how we implement effective strategy and change.
Nine human instincts affecting change
This list neatly summaries what most academic learning, management training, and organisational systems and processes (including Human Resources processes) help us forget – that how humans live, think and feel is initially shaped by human instincts. If we incorporate an understanding of these instincts into how we go about leadership, strategy, change and human resource management, things that were hard, become easier, and things that make no sense, become obvious. So-called “resistance to change” becomes understandable and we can think in new ways about what we can do as leaders to make a difference.
If we recognise these instincts as some of the most powerful human forces at work in the workplace and start working with them, rather than denying them, what could be the impact on our effectiveness in implementing change? What do they mean for how we handle:
If we respect and deal with these natural human instincts first when we undertake change in organisations, we are more likely to unleash the enormous human potential that has produced the most adaptable animal on the planet.
Susan Kehoe
Consultant | Coach | Change Leader
Work with Susan
Susan helps design and implement people-centred strategy, transformation and performance improvement. Her work involves challenging mind-sets, shifting culture, and engaging people to improve service delivery and performance. Her approach taps into the enormous unused potential of people in organisations to deliver exponentially better results with the right leadership, engagement and strategy.
I suggest that we have a distorted view of the nature of human beings and how we deal with change. Modern western society, and bureaucratic organisations and governments in particular, are denying our roots and the basic human instincts that have allowed us to survive and adapt over all those millennia. We have created an image of ourselves as modern, civilised and rational in our organisations and fail to acknowledge that underneath it all, and at the core of our being, we are still that human being that has learnt how to survive and prosper through enormous competition and change.
We act as if humans can be trained to leave their instincts at the door when they come to work and act rationally and professionally at all times. We think that when we encourage people to do this we can get the best performance out of them at work. But this approach is like denying a core part of us that has contributed to the performance that has allowed us to survive and succeed as an amazing species.
Denying the power of human instincts at work
So what would happen if we acknowledged some of the most powerful forces within us that have helped us deal with change over the history of our species, and worked with this, rather than against it, to improve performance in organisations?
Marketers, media, politicians, demagogues, and others have always used this reality to their advantage. But in our bureaucratic organisations it is as if this is our Vauldemort – he who cannot be named. We are too polite, too educated, too civilised, too professional, to speak of such base or irrational things as human instincts at work. And by denying this very important part of human nature, we fail to tap into the potential of human beings to be one of the most adaptable forces of change on our planet.
The myth of the rational man
If you are a manager and you think back over your career and your studies, it’s unlikely you have spent much time researching and thinking about how to understand and harness basic human instincts to improve the effectiveness of leadership, strategy, change and business performance at work.
I have spent many years in leadership roles in large corporations (including in human resources) and many years in tertiary study and professional development activities, primarily in the social sciences. But almost none of this time has been deliberately focused on formally understanding human instincts and harnessing how they affect human behaviour and potential at work.
A focus on harnessing human instincts in order to be a more effective manager would probably be considered unprofessional and not something appropriate in the workplace. Add to this, working in senior roles in large corporate or government systems, a good manager (especially a female manager) must be seen to be rational, systematic, and professional to be taken seriously.
It took many years for me to realise some important facts that were highly relevant to the effectiveness of my work in areas like human resources, business performance improvement and change had been missing from my formal education.
Human physiology and human instincts
Despite us acting at work “as if” people should be rational and logical, and considering it to be a weakness if they are not, at the heart of us all, and at the very core of our brains and our being, basic human instincts that have kept us safe over millennia, influence how we think, feel and act.
In our brains the amygdala is responsible for emotions and instincts intended to keep us safe - like our automatic fight and flight responses. In our gut, microbiome produce chemicals that we are learning can explain “gut reactions” that contribute to some of our immediate autonomic responses to our environment.
People in organisations, whether they are wearing a corporate suit or a blue collar uniform, still react initially with those human instincts. How they manifest in observed behaviour may vary, but we are all human beings under those clothes and our first and quickest reactions are emotional ones.
Leadership and human hardwiring
Much of the accepted wisdom about good leadership practice, human resource management, and change management is based on a view of “rational man” and is either about ignoring the fact that instincts are an important part of human beings, or trying to suppress them. I suggest however that failing to effectively recognise and work with basic human instincts often actually undermines effective performance and change at work and makes good people leadership and the effective implementation of strategy and change much harder than it needs to be, not to mention wasting a whole lot of human potential.
This came together for me a few years ago when I read a book by Andrew O’Keeffe called Hardwired Humans. The whole book is a great read and I commend it to you. The list of 9 human instincts below is O’Keeffe’s summary (p.211) of the work of Nigel Nicholson (How Hardwired is Human Behaviour?, HBR, July 1998) listing instincts that impact most on human behaviour in organisations. I encourage you to read through the list and consider what these mean for how we do things in our organisations, what good leaders need to acknowledge, and how these should affect how we implement effective strategy and change.
Nine human instincts affecting change
- Social belonging - Humans desire strong bonds within family-sized groups of around 7 people and a sense of belonging in clans of up to 150.
- Hierarchy and status - Humans seek superiority or security in hierarchical systems. We seek status symbols, recognition and elevation within the hierarchy.
- Emotions before reason - Humans trust their emotional instincts above all else and use emotions as their first screen for all information received. We hear negative news first and loudest.
- First impressions to classify - Humans quickly classify people, situations and experiences into categories (good or bad, in or out) based on first impressions and gut feelings rather than engage in time consuming analysis.
- Loss aversion - Humans seek to avoid loss and risky situations but fight frantically when feeling threatened. We explore and are curious about the world around us when we feel safe.
- Gossip - Humans seek and share information. We share information with others we like and use it to build alliances. We love to tell and share stories.
- Empathy and mind reading - Humans utilise empathy and mind reading to build relationships, be friendly and gather information.
- Confidence before realism - Humans radiate confidence to move forward in the world, even denying what is realistic. We allow confidence to conquer realism to get what we want.
- Contest and display - Humans seek to impress others and to demonstrate their worth as a means to gain advantages. We spend an inordinate amount of time and energy making ourselves look good in various ways.
This list neatly summaries what most academic learning, management training, and organisational systems and processes (including Human Resources processes) help us forget – that how humans live, think and feel is initially shaped by human instincts. If we incorporate an understanding of these instincts into how we go about leadership, strategy, change and human resource management, things that were hard, become easier, and things that make no sense, become obvious. So-called “resistance to change” becomes understandable and we can think in new ways about what we can do as leaders to make a difference.
If we recognise these instincts as some of the most powerful human forces at work in the workplace and start working with them, rather than denying them, what could be the impact on our effectiveness in implementing change? What do they mean for how we handle:
- Stories and communication about change
- Giving negative news or feedback
- Engagement and expectations of formal and informal leaders during change
- The impact on people of the threat to membership and status in a group due to organisational change, and
- Helping people feel safe if we want them to solve problems, be creative, and bring the best of themselves to work.
If we respect and deal with these natural human instincts first when we undertake change in organisations, we are more likely to unleash the enormous human potential that has produced the most adaptable animal on the planet.
Susan Kehoe
Consultant | Coach | Change Leader
Work with Susan
Susan helps design and implement people-centred strategy, transformation and performance improvement. Her work involves challenging mind-sets, shifting culture, and engaging people to improve service delivery and performance. Her approach taps into the enormous unused potential of people in organisations to deliver exponentially better results with the right leadership, engagement and strategy.