Mats Alvesson is a Professor within the Department of Business Administration at Lund University. I strive to be a back scratcher whenever possible. Williams says there is power in numbers. Sandra: So whats the paradoxical nature of stupidity? He said, The hospital staff is the biggest PR group that any hospital has. But if you have that formal assignment then you feel some obligation and you also have some protection, because you can protect behind the formal role, and people understand this and you can also say things: I dont necessarily think that our statement here in terms of corporate values, its crap, but if you take a position here thats a bit more critical, you can say that these statements are extremely vague, theyre extremely positive, they look exactly like all other organisations, they dont mean shit. Forgot to hand in that business proposal? Humor, unfortunately, has some of the same downsides as returning the insult: Your reply has to be funny, and it has to be well-timed and well-delivered. The Arizona real estate market may be booming, but that doesn't mean that you should ignore the potential of legal disputes. Telling people to wait 100 years while we address long-standing bias isnt helpful, she says. More often than not, being ignored is simply a sign of the times. So for people that are steeped into a particular form and are used to all this, this is reasonably rational, sensible, the things that you do, you do with everybody else, you follow instructions. When Smart People Work for Dumb Bosses brings corporate stupidity out of the closet. So this is quite common, even if it often creates a lot of problems that may go beneath the radar not detected or taken seriously by people. It's time to rethink what's working in the modern workplace and what's failing. What should you say or do if you find yourself in this situation? You just want to scream or just give the other person a piece of your mind. Having the courage to stand up to someone can be hard for some employees, so it's best to try some different ways to take back control of work relationships in a professional way. Algorithmic social media is an existential threat to democracy, Noise and other distractions with Daniel Kahneman. Although the two terms might be closely related, for employees it's important to differentiate between both and know how to act upon them when they are confronted with this sort of behavior. They wanted to scream, to give someone a good talking to, but they didnt know how to respond to rudeness. How to Deal With Insults and Put-Downs | Psychology Today When you feel sad, they have a cunning way of making you . Complaining isnt all bad. And it must be resolved with the public interest in mind. You might say, "Sorry everybody, this is my first time walking." A joke can break the tension and you can move on. Mats: It certainly does. Humans are social animals and need each other to survive. Ignoring the . How to deal with idiots and jerks: 16 effective tips - Ideapod This company is better than others and so on. In other words, people publicly trash their coworkers and companies even their family members. Intimidation in the workplace only creates a toxic work environment for every employee. It puts up a block to future cooperation. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. So its inevitable. If others observe that verbal barbs offered in good-natured fun ruffle your feathers, they smell blood. I think there are some companies that try to be quite rational and reasonable, so they try to avoid too much of this kind of fluffiness. Scenario: You've already reached verbal agreement, but as you're negotiating the final . First-person accounts from leaders and employees illustrate the authors journey through the epidemic dumbness of corporate structure, decision-making, and practice. Thats why I enjoyed the story shared by Becky, my truly wonderful mother-in-law. Often employees tend to feel intimidated by things they don't know, whether it's having to deal with group projects, new programs or even a new colleague. Tulshyan says those who are in a position to create a better, more inclusive work environment, where people can bring their whole selves to work, should use that power. Opie agrees that the ultimate responsibility for fixing the problems of discrimination at work lies with leaders. Heres some advice for the next time a colleague says something offensive and youre wondering whether to act. 4 Dirty Negotiating Tricks (and How to Counter Them) | Inc.com Before you lash out, learn how to de-identify and maintain your perspective. Be clear about what needs to change and . Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor. Can help people get along more easily, and really can help people just get on with it. But when working dads leave the office, we dont even notice. Its important to do this in a way that isnt passive-aggressive. When clients make a commitment to investing in themselves, they're opening themselves up to you as someone they're entrusting with their vulnerable, painful experience. When we have a setback at work, it can be embarrassing, and we can become excessively self-critical. Of course the people were eager to get off the plane, and they were restless. Could poor nutrition be the reason for a lack of focus? Action: Which of the three behaviors bugs you the most STUPIDITY, RUDENESS, or BADMOUTHING? Reviewed by Lybi Ma. Well-intentioned? Please try again. She should tell him that while she recognizes that he feels bad, his constant complaining is upsetting everyone in the organization. In our book, The Stupidity Paradox, we have a chapter on anti-stupidity management, and we its me and my co-author Andrew Spicer from Cass Business School in London and here we point at a number of examples of how you can try to systematically reduce functional stupidity at work. Social animals, this is part of our DNA. So it has a vantage point. You want to speak out and correct things. Dont get me wrong. Are Workplace Diversity Programs Doing More Harm Than Good? What makes a workplace mindless? After we landed at LAX, we sat on the tarmac for a good hour waiting for someone to tow us up to the gate. The book documents a limited number of instances of dumb behavior, which they define as inexplicably profound error (or what the man on the street would call stupid), and focuses on the new, improved corporate greed that firmly took hold in the nineties. Weve all been theretrying valiantly to reason with an incredibly difficult person. Engaging critical reflection, if you can point at this is really not particularly sensible thing to do. Certainly it doesn't come with a magic potion of boss fixing, but the best advice I've heard came from this book - if you recognize that you're in a bad situation and you stay there, you're a participant not a victim. Begin with praise. Case Study #1: Focus on your reaction. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. And of course if youre a newcomer, then you often find a lot of things being peculiar and stupid here. You may have learned to use "I" statements to communicate with your manager. However, almost all of them said they worked with stupid people that drove them crazy. Recognize that if you are in a position of power, you have a responsibility to address offensive commentsand create an inclusive work environment. I think that large organisations tend to have more distance than small organisations. Follow the podcast Stupidity in business can lead to disasters. Thats not to say you shouldnt speak up, but you should be realistic about the consequences of doing so. It was just a joke.) or get defensive (What are you accusing me of?). Write down how you typically respond to such behavior. How to deal with human stupidity - LinkedIn We want to be buying into self-serving bias, that we are good and we are better than average. In doing so, he might find that his mood improved; he might have more energy and feel less anxious. While chronic complainers appear to be harmless on the surface, they owe it to their colleagues and themselves to regulate their behavior. Something went wrong. Select your response based on what you perceive the other persons intentions to befrom silence and a mere shrug to a more direct response: And why do you need that information?, Are you writing a book? (60%), They are victims of malicious rumors. But all along, Daniels approach has been to be direct and honest with Carol. Are they generally self-aware? The loss of "liminal space" due to remote work can lead to role blurring and burnout. This is usually through using threatening gestures, whether it's verbal, non-verbal, physical or even physiological. So most organisations tend to press people or seduce people into these types of mindsets. At least, for 54% of the workplace, according to a recent study of more than 1,000 Americans, remote work has reduced the heat temporarily. Bullying is often considered an act of domination. (49%). We work hard to protect your security and privacy. And are you risking your reputation, job, or career by speaking up? However, this creates a lot of room for improvement, and for employees that encounter bullying or intimidation regularly, there are ways they can reclaim their workplace relationships and take more action to hold their perpetrators accountable even if it might be their boss. Dont let the juvenile look of the volume throw you. You need to have some role or some base for saying things or pointing at issues that most people that are more politically sensitive and like to make friends with everybody, and so on, they would be very hesitant in raising because the risk is always that you become a bit unpopular and thats a career limiting move to say things that stands out negatively. 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For example: "I feel like I'm being treated poorly" or "I feel like my ideas aren't being considered.". This is the stupidity paradox. If so, then leave that chapter out! (My all-time favorite used by a long-time friend of mine when he didnt want to answer me about something. Its thealgorithms. Rank order them. Every year, wed go through training on how to defuse difficult situations in which a patient, family member, or even another employee was extremely angry and seemingly out of control. In this landmark book, they define dumb quite broadly: it applies to the stupid, the egomaniacal, the dictatorial, the scheming, the manipulative, and even the abusive. Solution: There are two main ways you can deal with a know-it-all. I mean normally newcomers are careful in saying too much, but if this is done systematically and anonymously then of course it is easier for people to say this is really bizarre, this is really absurd, how come these people have all these lofty and hollow visions statements that nobody really believes in?. We no longer believed the ads we saw on TV, the ads that told us how much that particular airline cared about its customers. Listen. It's up to you to engage your conscious mind in order to defuse the situation. Through stories from the sales manager who actually wields a baseball bat to keep his staff "motivated," to the health care supervisor who falunts the fact that his policies are unethical, you will learn practical strategies for coping with any dysfunctional . Various studies show that those who are credible and competent actually increase their connection with others when they use self-deprecating comments. Make sure that as an employee, you know what the workplace policies are in terms of this, and when it's possible to identify if someone has stepped out of line. Its not covered by insurance., The family members sat silently as they absorbed the news. Your initial goal is to make a rational decision, one that youll feel good about later on, for how to respond. So its a form of, within the box thinking, a form of mindlessness, but in a reasonably competent way and something that is typically applauded by other people not thinking too broadly or too deeply about things in workplaces. With coaching and therapy it may be possible for a chronic complainer to shift their pattern of behavior and become more constructive. After all, if he has the time to whine and complain about all the bad things happening to him, then he should also make the time to do something about it. Unfortunately, stupidity cannot be fought. Orjust call it out Of course, you may decide that youre not concerned about the other persons sense of self or their ability to change. Through the repetition of bad, sad, mad and powerless feelings, the neurotransmitters in the brain can go through a neural rewiring, which reinforces negative thought patterns, making it easier for unhappy thoughts to repeat themselves and leaving little room for the more positive feelings of gratitude, appreciation, and well-being. Peters constant grumbling, whining, and lamenting was toxic for everyone, himself included. Sandra: Im Sandra peter, and today we talk to Professor Mats Alvesson, who is the chair of the Business Administration department at Lund University in Sweden, and is also part time Professor at the University of Queensland Business School. Nearly half (47%) will quit their job within a year or less if forced to deal with a bully. Your job security or personal safety may be at risk, says Czopp. How To Deal With Dumb People: Finding Perspective & Poise - wikiHow The situation proves frustrating, maddening, and sometimes even frightening. An action that is repeated multiple times shouldn't be considered a coincidence, but can rather be seen as a choice to act in a certain way. From absurd routines, to idiotic management practices, from lost productivity and slow reaction times, to financial catastrophes and organisational collapse. ), and as such should really be titled, `Why Otherwise Normal Individuals Do Stupid Things'. And then within of course functional stupidity, we have a large number of different versions of this. Understanding and preventing fraud and workplace misconduct, Location-based salaries: fair or unfair? Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. When you're dealing with a person behaving unreasonably, the fear response center in your brain (the fight-flight-freeze part) is going to be activated. I mean, everybodys saying that we like to have openness and critical thinking and people communicating problems and so on. Break eye contact. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies. We dont share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we dont sell your information to others. You can subscribe to this podcast oniTunes,Spotify,Soundcloud,Stitcher,Libsyn,YouTubeor wherever you get your podcasts. 4) They play on your emotions. Indeed its quite common in social life. And it wouldnt have fixed anything. Continue your work or make your exit. Dr. Anderson says, Most people have very poor coping skills when it comes to stupidity. So theyre not seen as stupid, they are not seen as stupid till you take a broader look. So how is stupidity impacting the way we do business, and should we do anything about it? These early experiences can become deeply ingrained patterns of behavior, and in Peters case, may have become part of his identity. Yet mindlessness and idiocy can, at least for a while, help people do things a bit more easily. She is the author of four psychology books and has been featured in media nationwide. Having the courage to stand up to someone is not always an option for everyone, so it's important to consider other possibilities that can help them find a viable solution to resolve workplace bullying. Posted March 3, 2015 You can use these techniques with your boss, a customer, a family member, even a stranger. How to Deal With an Annoying Manager: 13 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow Its what makes dealing with these chronic complainers so exasperating. Have compassion. Workplace intimidation is alive and well. Not everyone can muster up the confidence to speak out when it's needed. But you could try other things. But over time, Daniels input seems to have helped. The evidence is . Stupidity in business can lead to disasters. How to Work for an Idiot, Revised and Expanded with More Idiots, More Insanity, and More Incompetency: Survive and Thrive Without Killing Your Boss, A Survival Guide for Working With Bad Bosses: Dealing With Bullies, Idiots, Back-stabbers, And Other Managers from Hell, How Highly Effective People Speak: How High Performers Use Psychology to Influence With Ease (Speak for Success), Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, No Import Fees Deposit & $10.04 Shipping to Germany. I would say thats true in all organizations. Productivity Is A Brutal Concept. The fact is stress is one of the top causes of heart attacks. Anger and resentment across your team can make an already stressful leadership job feel worse. Trump lovers, Bernie supporters, birthers, 9/11 truthers, and people who send you a voicemail/text/email and then stop by your desk two seconds later because they need a response. How to Manage a Stubborn, Defensive, or Defiant Employee Nonetheless, in the modern workplace, professionals consider intimidation as a form of bullying, which can harm their performance and their relationship with their peers. Tell the company president. She should acknowledge that everyone complains at some point, but also point out that most people do so in moderation and that there is a right and a wrong way to complain. Such rudeness even spilled over into the world of customer service. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations [NSPPD] || 1ST - Facebook How To Respond To Bullies And Insults At Work - Forbes It diffuses the stupidity. Join our exclusive online experience for business leaders, Meet our collaborators and engage with us, The stupidity paradox: functional stupidity at work, Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives. If the person gets their hackles up and gets defensive, youve now got another piece of information about who this person is, she says. Is there a way to draw attention to the comment without making the situation worse? According to the survey of the 79% who say they have either experienced or witnessed bullying at work, heres what happens: How does this bullying affect your work? Your purpose is to call the other persons hand on the teasing or sarcasm. And if youre into organisations that are not so focused on material production, like manufacturing, machine, or supermarket or something, but to enter organisations that are more into images and ideas, and so on, so consultancy, marketing work and so on, then you tend to have even more functional stupidity than in some other organisations that are a bit more hands on and have more kind of material production as the core of their business. This week: a special episode with Nobel Prize winner and renowned author, Professor Daniel Kahneman. We're Now Finding Out The Damaging Results of The Mandated Return to Office And It's Worse Than We Thought. He replied, Its just a standard pricing procedure. Think carefully about whether you want to speak up, weighing the costs and benefits of doing so. And we tend to also agree with other people. Subscribe to my weekly Tuesday Tip, and get your .pdf copy of , " 93 Truths to Unlimited Happiness and Success in your life, work, and relationships!".