Neuroscience in a “Mechanistic” World

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Over the past decade there have been huge advances in neuroscience and especially in the area of imaging. Advances in fMRI as well as other techniques for “looking” at the brain have given new insight to what is really happening “physically” in our brains. We now know that what was thought to be correct (in some cases for hundreds of years) about behavior was in fact very wrong. The good news is that we as humans are very “collaborative” and as we learn more we begin to share more almost as if we instinctively know that it will be good for use to share our knowledge.

In the early part of the 20th century we lived in a very “mechanistic” time. Industry was being driven by the need for expansion and the great Henry Ford designed the system (often duplicated in all realms of business) that instructed workers to “only do as you are told”. The assembly lines were the first step into this “mechanistic” world. Supervisors would undoubtedly tell their reports “put this bolt on right here as the assembly line passes and do not mess this up by trying to do anything else”….Well, that sort of “example”, if you will, spread to other businesses in all sectors. It also spread to our educational system and became “the preferred method” for students to learn. It is almost as if they were being told “don’t think up new ways” and instead were taught “this is the only method that will be used so you better learn it this way”. So much for creativity and original thinking.

Although this created a sense of security in our nation (and others) we have to step back and look at what has really happened. During this “mechanistic” time, according to educator Sir Ken Robinson,  we created generation after generation who were told “go to school, get into college, get a degree and you will get a job”.  The problem is that today we must have a Masters degree where a bachelors would have done in a previous generation and a Doctorate is now necessary where a Masters would have done previously. Part of the problem here is that we have, for generations, we have stifled creativity due to perceptions of what was thought to be true from psychological and neurological standpoints. And that was due to our limited understanding, based on the information available to us scientifically at that time. So, we looked around at the “behaviors” of that time and saw that in industry that certain things were making certain businesses lots of money by using these “mechanistic” methods and we applied them to everything we did – whether it was a in business, education, or our family lives.

Today, industry has seen that it takes a huge amount of creativity to be successful. For instance, if we did not have original thinkers, such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and others, I may not be able to sit here and type this article and be able to send it out to thousands with the push of a button. They were creative and it sparked a whole revolution in technology that is snowballing daily into greater and greater advances. Those “creative advances” or “snowballing technology” allowed for improvements in everything from coffee makers to MRI machines and so much more. BUT, we still see the “mechanistic” mindset throughout our society. Whether in business, education and our families, we still do not allow for creativity to happen as we should. Improved, yes. Even close to where it should be, no. The reason for this is that we have created a society that is afraid to make mistakes. Starting with our children in school they are told to do “as instructed” and stop “day dreaming”. That continues all the way through our adults lives. Supervisors do not allow their direct reports to “try” new things for fear that their superior will drop the hammer on them. This in turn creates a vicious cycle and holds companies and societies in the “Mechanistic world”…And the problem with that, quite simply, is that the rest of the world is moving on.

Understanding the brain through advances in neuroscience will help managers to understand why they feel the way they do when faced with ever-changing circumstances. The “toward” and “away” mechanism that is “hardwired” into each of our brains is central to whether we attain success in business or our personal lives. That which we perceive as threatening we move “away” from and that which we think will be good we move “toward”. Although that is not a hard concept to follow, it is what happens in our brains during those moments that needs to be understood. When we like something or feel good about an event our brains release chemicals and make connections that would not have happened during an “away” event where we felt threatened in some way. Just the simple threat of losing one’s “status” brings on a whole rush of emotions. Yet, knowing that there are techniques that can help you in those situations where the brain is sending you signals is what we need to be teaching today as managers. – That is making the gigantic leap to assume that as managers we are learning how to live and manage in a “non mechanistic world”.

As leaders we must begin to educate ourselves in these new science breakthroughs in order to be able to be competitive in this new “creative world”. The journey from the mechanistic world to this creative, self fulfilling, inspiring leadership, mindful world where we allow our co-workers to try to ideas, to collaborate where we used to isolate and to be the social human that brings great ideas to light begins with our own personal journey and education in the Neuroscience of Leadership. Understanding what is happening inside your own brain will help you to see situations in different ways and allow for the possibility that you can approach a situation differently. And, if you can approach situations differently why can you not have a “coaching mentality” with those that you come in direct contact with to help them to overcome their own “mechanistic tendencies”? The good news is that we can do this. It is working everyday all around us. Be aware that these changes are happening. Be aware of your own responses. Be aware of the responses of others and help yourself and others to achieve breakthrough success through using techniques of “NeuroLeadership” (David Rock) and coaching others, in all situations, to begin to make decisions on their own by using those same techniques. We can make the change and it will lighten the load for all.

~ Jay W. Politi

Twitter at http://twitter.com/ JayPoliti 

Please feel free to contact Jay W. Politi directly at uahammer1@aol.com . Your comments and thoughts are always welcomed.

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