Your Brain and Business: The Neuroscience of Great Leaders by Srinivasan S. Pillay
Authors: Srinivasan S. Pillay
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method that works in creating behavioral change. The beacon of transformation is enrollment. That is, in order to preserve the integrity of the client, the client has to enrolled in the agreed-upon agenda. The commitment has to be real.
Behavioral commitment in organizations relies on a number of factors, including attitudinal commitment. 13 In fact, when managers and leaders increase behavioral commitment in their team members, salary becomes less important with regard to job satisfaction, 14 and motivation to work harder increases. 15 Behavioral commitment involves positive and negative affectivity, role conflict and ambiguity, and autonomy and involvement. Each of these processes relates to how the brain manages commitment to a decision or organization. 16
The Neuroscience of Commitment
The concept: Commitment is defined as “the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action.” The necessity of commitment to change is based on the action-based model of dissonance, which predicts that following commitment to a decision involves a series of motivational factors that must arise to encourage approaching a desired goal in an effective and unconflicted way. 17 These approach-oriented processes as a state of mind are referred to as “action orientation.” For change to be successful, action orientation is essential. I call this the “get-set” position.
Imagine the beginning of a 100-meter sprint. All the runners are lined up. The starter cocks the gun and the runners look ahead: “On your mark, get set, go.” As a manager or coach, it is ideal to be able to engage the team members in their mission at this level of intensity.Due to procrastination, many people will stay in the “on your mark” position and substitute this for action.
Two recent experiments have shown us what goes on in the brain when a person is committed to a decision. In Experiment 1, using neurofeedback, the application of an electrode to decrease left frontal cortical activation resulted in a decrease in commitment to a decision (see Figure 5.13 ).
Figure 5.13. Different views of the left frontal cortex
In Experiment 2, an increase in action orientation resulted in an increase in left frontal cortical activation and an increase in commitment to a decision. Thus, the left frontal cortex is critical in the commitment to a decision. It takes an action-oriented mindset to activate this region.
Thus, for change, you need commitment to the new action, which requires left frontal cortex activation.
The application: There is a subtle difference between a plan and decision. Many people think that they can move from having a plan to action, but a decision is a commitment to a plan of action 18 and without this commitment lasting change is impossible. Effectively, a decision involves approach-oriented processes that have already been instituted.
When team members state that they have a plan, managers, leaders, and coaches can then inquire as to what approach behaviors they have instituted. One of the challenges of decision-making is that it takes the romance out of the plan or inspiration. Managers and coaches may want to think about each step of the action plan as one that generates the same mystique to keep team members faithful to the plan. Although theoretically, it also makes sense to just explain the explosion of this mystique, and accept it, my experience has been that it requires too much energy to move away from the inspiration and that each action-oriented step should generate the next level of mystique. For example, if you are a CEO, you might decide that the company needs a greater level of transparency to encourage a greater sense of trust. This idea is sound, but the notion of generating information for the company to look at can be daunting and discouraging. To maintain your commitment to this goal, you might decide to delegate this task to someone else. In this way, you do not have
Behavioral commitment in organizations relies on a number of factors, including attitudinal commitment. 13 In fact, when managers and leaders increase behavioral commitment in their team members, salary becomes less important with regard to job satisfaction, 14 and motivation to work harder increases. 15 Behavioral commitment involves positive and negative affectivity, role conflict and ambiguity, and autonomy and involvement. Each of these processes relates to how the brain manages commitment to a decision or organization. 16
The Neuroscience of Commitment
The concept: Commitment is defined as “the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action.” The necessity of commitment to change is based on the action-based model of dissonance, which predicts that following commitment to a decision involves a series of motivational factors that must arise to encourage approaching a desired goal in an effective and unconflicted way. 17 These approach-oriented processes as a state of mind are referred to as “action orientation.” For change to be successful, action orientation is essential. I call this the “get-set” position.
Imagine the beginning of a 100-meter sprint. All the runners are lined up. The starter cocks the gun and the runners look ahead: “On your mark, get set, go.” As a manager or coach, it is ideal to be able to engage the team members in their mission at this level of intensity.Due to procrastination, many people will stay in the “on your mark” position and substitute this for action.
Two recent experiments have shown us what goes on in the brain when a person is committed to a decision. In Experiment 1, using neurofeedback, the application of an electrode to decrease left frontal cortical activation resulted in a decrease in commitment to a decision (see Figure 5.13 ).
Figure 5.13. Different views of the left frontal cortex
In Experiment 2, an increase in action orientation resulted in an increase in left frontal cortical activation and an increase in commitment to a decision. Thus, the left frontal cortex is critical in the commitment to a decision. It takes an action-oriented mindset to activate this region.
Thus, for change, you need commitment to the new action, which requires left frontal cortex activation.
The application: There is a subtle difference between a plan and decision. Many people think that they can move from having a plan to action, but a decision is a commitment to a plan of action 18 and without this commitment lasting change is impossible. Effectively, a decision involves approach-oriented processes that have already been instituted.
When team members state that they have a plan, managers, leaders, and coaches can then inquire as to what approach behaviors they have instituted. One of the challenges of decision-making is that it takes the romance out of the plan or inspiration. Managers and coaches may want to think about each step of the action plan as one that generates the same mystique to keep team members faithful to the plan. Although theoretically, it also makes sense to just explain the explosion of this mystique, and accept it, my experience has been that it requires too much energy to move away from the inspiration and that each action-oriented step should generate the next level of mystique. For example, if you are a CEO, you might decide that the company needs a greater level of transparency to encourage a greater sense of trust. This idea is sound, but the notion of generating information for the company to look at can be daunting and discouraging. To maintain your commitment to this goal, you might decide to delegate this task to someone else. In this way, you do not have
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