Leadership

COMM 151 March 19, 2013 Christopher Miners

Agenda

Review of Group Dynamics and Teams The Power of Leadership: The Milgram Experiments

Announcements

Review of Group Dynamics

Important concepts

Basking in reflected glory Feelings about the self are influenced by group affiliation In-group favouritism Tendency to view your own group and its members positively and other groups and their members negatively Out-group homogeneity The tendency to perceive members of 4 other groups as very similar to each other

Review of Group Dynamics

Important concepts (cntd)

Conformity Surprisingly high Reduced by the presence of an ally Social loafing Slacking off when working with others Stereotype threat Individuals perform more poorly on a task when a relevant negative stereotype is salient
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Agenda

Review of Group Dynamics and Teams The Power of Leadership: The Milgram Experiments

The Milgram Experiments

Psychologist Stanley Milgram

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The Milgram Experiments

Procedure Study on memory and learning Other participant is a 47 year-old man Random drawing gives you the role of teacher, and the man is the learner

Milgram, S. (1974). Obedience to authority: An experimental view. New York: Harper & Row.

The Milgram Experiments

The teacher helps the learner remember word pairs Blue Box Nice Day The teacher is required to administer a shock to the learner when he makes mistakes because the study is designed to explore the effects of punishment on learning Participants were free to leave anytime

The Milgram Experiments

Shock generator: 15-450 volts Labels range from Slight Shock to Danger: Severe Shock to XXX
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The Milgram Experiments

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The Milgram Experiments

120: Ugh! Hey, this really hurts. 150: Ugh!! Experimenter! Thats all. Get me out of here. I told you I had heart trouble. My hearts starting to bother me now. Get me out of here, please 210: Ugh!!! Experimenter! Get me out of here. Ive had enough. I wont be in the experiment any more. 270: (Agonized scream) Let me out of here! (x6) 285: (Agonized scream)
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The Milgram Experiments

300: (Agonized scream) I absolutely refuse to answer any more. Get me out of here. You cant hold me here 315: (Intensely agonized scream) I told you I refuse to answer. Im no longer part of this experiment. 330: (Intense and prolonged agonized scream) Let me out of here (x2). My hearts bothering me (hysterically) Let me out of here (x2). You have no right to hold me here. Let me out (x6)! After 330: (Silence, refuses to answer word-pair questions)
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The Milgram Experiments

Let me out of here! The experiment requires that you continue.

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The Milgram Experiments

Experimenters schedule of comments Please continue or Please go on The experiment requires that you continue It is absolutely essential that you continue You have no other choice, you must go on

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The Milgram Experiments

Predictions

Experts thought only 1-3% of participants would keep going to the end (only psychopaths) Experts thought that they themselves would never obey

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The Milgram Experiments

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The Milgram Experiments

Results 62.5% of participants obeyed until the end Men and women obeyed to the same extent Similar results across cultures 100% of participants obeyed up to a 100 volt shock (i.e., Intense) Do not worry Modern Ethics Boards would never allow this sort of study to be conducted!
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The Milgram Experiments

I observed a mature and initially poised businessman enter the laboratory smiling and confident. Within 20 minutes, he was reduced to a twitching, stuttering wreck, who was rapidly approaching a point of nervous collapse and yet he continued to respond to every word of the experimenter, and obeyed until the end. - Stanley Milgram, 1963
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The Milgram Experiments

With numbing regularity good people were seen to knuckle under the demands of authority and perform actions that were callous and severe. Men who are in everyday life responsible and decent were seduced by the uncritical acceptance of the experimenter's definition of the situation, into performing harsh acts. A substantial proportion of people do what they are told to do, irrespective of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience, so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority. - Stanley Milgram, 1965
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The Milgram Experiments

62.5% reached 450 volts in the initial study 20% reached 450 volts when the experimenter was replaced by another teacher 10% reached 450 volts when two other teachers refused to continue 2% reached 450 volts when they could choose the level of shock
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The Milgram Experiments

Organizational lessons
To Avoid Being Influenced Be wary of people who insist on using titles Focus on substance above style

To Influence Use titles Dress the part

Drive the part

A V12 engine sounds nice but evidence and logic are preferable
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The Milgram Experiments

Organizational lessons The defenses listed on the previous slide can be summarized by the following advice When you are confronted with an authority figure, ask yourself two questions: 1. Is this authority truly an expert? 2. How honest can I expect this expert to be?
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March 21 Preview: Leadership (cntd)

Who becomes a leader? What do leaders do? Transactional leadership v. transformational leadership

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See you on Thursday!

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