Conference
Alligators in the Board Room
By: Christina Luppi, Manager, Sentient
Decision Science
This post was originally published on the Sentient Decision Science Blog.
Decision Science
This post was originally published on the Sentient Decision Science Blog.
'Command the Board Room' is the theme at TMRE 2016. A lofty
goal, perhaps. But maybe not so lofty if you're equipped with the right
insights.
goal, perhaps. But maybe not so lofty if you're equipped with the right
insights.
Soon
Yu, TMRE 2016's chairperson, immediately endeared himself to the audience
by dubbing himself the 'biggest failure' in the ballroom. He cited multiple
tanked businesses, several career restarts, and a credit score of 300
to support the claim. Why so eager to have his failures be known? To help
people better understand how they can succeed.
Yu, TMRE 2016's chairperson, immediately endeared himself to the audience
by dubbing himself the 'biggest failure' in the ballroom. He cited multiple
tanked businesses, several career restarts, and a credit score of 300
to support the claim. Why so eager to have his failures be known? To help
people better understand how they can succeed.
'Insights teams need to play a critical role in the board
room,' Yu stressed. When decision makers want to know why big
ideas fail, they find the answer is often human.
room,' Yu stressed. When decision makers want to know why big
ideas fail, they find the answer is often human.
Even when the desirability is validated, when the
concepts are good and the budgets are excellent, ideas can
bomb because of people.
concepts are good and the budgets are excellent, ideas can
bomb because of people.
People run into walls of fear when approached with a
new idea, said Yu. Next, they run into walls of apathy because so
many things are competing for their interest. Lastly, they run into walls of
disbelief and are desperate for proof.
new idea, said Yu. Next, they run into walls of apathy because so
many things are competing for their interest. Lastly, they run into walls of
disbelief and are desperate for proof.
'Ideas don't sell themselves,' Yu explained. 'You can't just
have the right content. It requires us becoming champions in the board room.
Those walls are human dynamics and exist even with the right content.'
have the right content. It requires us becoming champions in the board room.
Those walls are human dynamics and exist even with the right content.'
The walls Yu mentioned aren't about what is right and wrong,
they're emotional barriers all marketers have to deal with at some
point. Insights help us break through.
they're emotional barriers all marketers have to deal with at some
point. Insights help us break through.
TMRE keynote speaker Zoe Chance left
corporate marketing to get her PhD because she wanted to study the complexities
of decision making. Really, frustration in the field made her determined
to help people make research-based decisions that make sense, rather than see
them go with their gut.
corporate marketing to get her PhD because she wanted to study the complexities
of decision making. Really, frustration in the field made her determined
to help people make research-based decisions that make sense, rather than see
them go with their gut.
What she found is that marketers actually need to suck
it up and learn to work better with the board members who make gut
decisions'that's just who we are as a species. Humans are ruled by
'alligator psychology,' she noted.
it up and learn to work better with the board members who make gut
decisions'that's just who we are as a species. Humans are ruled by
'alligator psychology,' she noted.
Something we know as System
1 thinking.
1 thinking.
'I refer to [System 1 and System 2] as the
'alligator brain' and the 'court,'' Chance explained. 'System 1 is unconscious,
fast' an automatic decision maker. We only imagine the court is making more
decisions than it is.'
'alligator brain' and the 'court,'' Chance explained. 'System 1 is unconscious,
fast' an automatic decision maker. We only imagine the court is making more
decisions than it is.'
Rather than trying to force feed data down the throats
of people who won't swallow, Chance suggested researchers better understand
the emotional motivations of our System 1 brains.
of people who won't swallow, Chance suggested researchers better understand
the emotional motivations of our System 1 brains.
She outlined five key forces of influence:
Labeling: Giving a name to behavior you want to
encourage or discourage.
Ease: Ease of use is a more powerful
motivator than even pleasure. This is a principle practiced to perfection by
companies like Amazon and Uber.
Attention: Moments of truth, open loops,
and the Zeigarnik effect.
Scarcity: Operates through loss aversion.
'Hot potato': When faced with resistance,
instead of pushing, hand back a problem to solve.
Notice the acronym? 'If you're going to walk an alligator,
it helps to have a LEASH,' Chance said with a smile.
it helps to have a LEASH,' Chance said with a smile.
Of course, alligators can be lazy. They sometimes need
persuading to bite.
persuading to bite.
Stephen
Dubner, best-selling author of Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics talked
about the power of incentives in marketing.
Dubner, best-selling author of Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics talked
about the power of incentives in marketing.
'Never underestimate the power of free. It doesn't matter
how much of something somebody's got, how much they're worth; the alligator
part of our brain' will just zap at it.'
how much of something somebody's got, how much they're worth; the alligator
part of our brain' will just zap at it.'
To illustrate, Dubner told a story of how the world-renowned
Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles dealt with a particular problem, a big
problem. Doctors were not washing their hands.
Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles dealt with a particular problem, a big
problem. Doctors were not washing their hands.
Yes, really.
The issue wasn't a matter of education'doctors know the
science and danger of bacteria'it was a matter of communication. How do
you tell medical professionals they must do something they already know they
must do?
science and danger of bacteria'it was a matter of communication. How do
you tell medical professionals they must do something they already know they
must do?
The hospital tried incentivizing a hand washing program with
Starbucks gift cards. And the wealthy MDs snapped them up as though they
couldn't afford their own coffee.
Starbucks gift cards. And the wealthy MDs snapped them up as though they
couldn't afford their own coffee.
'They turned a life and death problem into a game they
wanted to play,' said Dubner. But the card didn't raise the overall rate of hand washing.
wanted to play,' said Dubner. But the card didn't raise the overall rate of hand washing.
'Data can get you at the 'what' pretty easily, and the
'what' didn't work. The 'why' is complicated.'
'what' didn't work. The 'why' is complicated.'
Why gets into psychology, sometimes even into
religion. It also delves into the subconscious. What doctors would admit
they don't wash their hands in a hospital?
religion. It also delves into the subconscious. What doctors would admit
they don't wash their hands in a hospital?
'Self-reported data is close to worthless,' said
Dubner. 'This is why we need to know not what people are telling you they
will do; we need to get data about what they actually will do.'
Dubner. 'This is why we need to know not what people are telling you they
will do; we need to get data about what they actually will do.'
Eventually, the board at Cedars-Sinai created graphic
images of the bacteria found on their own hands and placed the image
on every computer screen saver at Cedars-Sinai. By showing doctors the
danger and triggering an emotional response, the research team got the
hand-washing rate up to 100-percent almost overnight.
images of the bacteria found on their own hands and placed the image
on every computer screen saver at Cedars-Sinai. By showing doctors the
danger and triggering an emotional response, the research team got the
hand-washing rate up to 100-percent almost overnight.
'If that's the way the human brain works, let's find a way
to take advantage of that and exploit it for some good,' Dubner concluded.
to take advantage of that and exploit it for some good,' Dubner concluded.
In that light, understanding alligator brain actually
sounds pretty rational.
sounds pretty rational.
