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1 415.830.5456 If you have ever passed a bag of candy to kids in the back seat of a car with the simple directions “share” you will be acutely aware of how difficult this is for human kind. We are all aware of how we could solve many of the world’s issues today if we chose to be more open-handed instead of opting to hoard but for some reason we keep holding on to what we have and the way we live hoping that things will miraculously change or that someone else will make the difference.
Apparently one way to trap a monkey is to place a vase-like jar in a tree or on the jungle floor with some fruit or nuts in it. The monkey finds the container and reaches in to grab the goodies only to discover that his hand is stuck due to a fistful of food. The monkey ends up getting trapped because it is unwilling to let go of what its holding.
Unfortunately we find a lot of similar behavior in the workplace; people who hoard information that end up being trapped in a limited experience of life and work. Some of this comes from the old Baconian adage “Knowledge is Power” which led boomers to believe they would have the upper hand if they knew more than their peers. Another reason this type of behavior exists in the workplace is a psychological phenomenon call Impostor Syndrome. Those with the syndrome remain convinced internally they do not deserve the success they have achieved and are actually frauds. This plays out by people not sharing information in case someone “catches them out” and makes them look stupid.
The topic of sharing in the workplace has become a topic of interest as social media continues to win the hearts and minds of younger generations and early adopters. Experienced users of social media need no convincing that sharing trumps hoarding. The benefits of community support, comraderie, awareness, opinions, advice, and knowing what others are thinking are enough to keep them addicted to this more open and informed lifestyle. Business cynics look at social media as a time suck just as they did when Instant Messaging emerged. Time will eventually show that these tools have become an outlet for how people want to live and the closed lifestyle will only remain with those with a closed mind.
One way to help work with coworkers who are nervous or resistant to sharing is to lead them into a taste of it. If your company is using Brainpark we recommend that you choose a specific project or topic where you can direct all communication through the product instead of trying to hope that everyone will jump in and start sharing everything immediately. It is best to start where people are at and lead them into an experience gradually. This strategy is also habit forming so once someone has positive experiences in one aspect of their work they will naturally start to open up other areas. Eventually those who believed that Knowledge is Power will come to realize that it is not just what you know but who you know and how much respect they have for you is what makes the difference.
To help those who may suffer from Impostors Syndrome it is important that you give them a closed or private option to start with as well as being comfortable with them lurking and reading more than contributing. There is no quick fix for altering behavior, it is one nudge at a time that ultimately redirects how someone lives out their life. Everyone will eventually change to this open way of communicating and sharing as younger generations start to flood the workforce. The companies that are investing in this way of operating today will be the ones that will lead the pack in innovation and collaboration tomorrow.
Great post Mark! Coming of a family road trip, your analogy of children sharing candy really brought this home for me. I recall working in an environment where the director of marketing would often keep information from me as she thought I was gunning for her job, as I was a consultant hired by the CMO to help her transition into the Web 2.0 era, the lack of strategic info made my job a wee bit more difficult.
What I love about Brainpark isn’t just the wonderful software, but the philosophies behind the tools you’re creating that help create a new type of work environment.
Cory, thank you for your comments. The values and philosophy we live by is really what drives the software. We are committed to making a positive change in the workplace. I trust you are well.
You bring up an important point in the human factor-lack of self confidence. This is a huge interpersonal problem. But there are legal/IP issues which may look like the ‘same behavior’ unwillingness to share.
Also in our ‘social world’ we are dealing with the ‘crowd’. Crowds are hard to control. Just like going to a Rave, you are on your own here. Once you or your content is out there it is, de facto, part of the public domain. There are Intellectual Property issues which I mention in my articles. And they are a real risk. Lack of control also means you can find counterfeits on eBay, get ‘yourself’ sold on Facebook and give away stolen government and business secrets on Wiki.
Adept users with integrity need to be savvy about these risks. Although the power for real communication and social impact beyond your group is truly profound, you need to set boundaries for joining, and control who’s in the group and sharing.
Ann, great point on the legal/IP issue. We face that often as we roll-out with companies. We work with existing permissions within corporations so it is not normally that difficult for us to overcome.
The point I am highlighting has more focus on company culture than IP or self-confidence. There are some company cultures that hinder people from sharing effectively which we help to transform.
Does that make sense?