As the relevance of psychologyin business strategy continues to gain momentum I am most struck by how predictably irrational we are responding to this new found level of awareness. There has been so much talk over the past year about the power of authenticity, ethics, and trust yet as we begin to discover the potency of our human biases are we viewing them through a lens of manipulation or cultivation? This distinction is significant! Sadly, I have noticed that a lot of the dialog is focusing on how to manipulate in subtle enough ways to shape the outcome but not so much that people will notice that they are being “tricked”.
As we begin to design business solutions and work environments around what motivates us it is imperative that we are shaping mutually beneficial outcomes in highly transparent ways. Misuse of these strategies will backfire in the long run, our rising “wikileaks” nature thrives on exposing unethical practices.
We need to cultivate our business strategies through the lens of what motivates us and puts our values into action.