Video Case Study: The Psychology of Tyranny

Video Case Study: The Psychology of Tyranny - Alex Haslam

Did Milgram get it wrong?

This video raises some intriguing questions that are relevant to our studies of high performance leadership. It raises issues around obedience, control, leadership, followership, context, and even evil.

Watch the video (17:49) and then reflect on the questions below.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

What meaning regarding obedience have people commonly concluded based on Milgram's research?
What are the factors in play that effect the participant's willingness to continue with the experiment, even though it appeared to be inflicting pain?
How did the context of the experiment effect the outcomes?
What additional information was mentioned in the video that we don't usually hear about when it comes to this famous experiment?
What is the surprising conclusion to this research when examined thru the lens of this talk?
Given the circumstances as you understand them, would you have continued to administer the shocks past the point of safety?
How did the subjects react when given direct orders?
What does this tell you about the nature of influence and leadership?
Could this knowledge be used for both noble and for evil intent? How do you respond to that?
As a leader, what use can you make of this information?

Comments

Build and Connect

The world is full of "buts" in search of more "ands." In improv. In leadership. In life. Let go of the fear and build on what's here. -- doug smith

Better Traditions

It's easy to tear down the past and wreck the present. It does not take much thought to condemn what seems to be ill-suited for our present needs. We might even take glee in crushing part of our past. But before we do, we should ask a question or two. What if we improved our traditions instead of destroying them? What if that's a better solution? -- doug smith

Pause First

Falling behind might not mean catching up. It could also reveal change and opportunity. Would you rather chase, or lead? Has one moment or movement gone leaving room for something new? Don't let a treadmill turn into a dread mill. Haul that rock up the hill if it is part of your future, not just because it was part of your past. -- doug smith

Practice

If practice was easy we wouldn't need it. -- doug smith

Wrong Is Wrong

There may be more than one right way to do something but that does not make the wrong way right. -- doug smith

In Search of the right steps...

Three step processes. Four step processes. Seven step processes. Even more. A problem is a dynamic in search of a dance. Follow the science, of course, but also find the dance. -- doug smith

Speedy, Pause

Speed is great. It overcomes indifference, it outruns hesitation, it gets things started. It can also lead to mistakes. Sometimes a mistake comes from moving too fast. Pause. Practice patiently to filter out the flaws. -- doug smith

Found

Everyone wants to do meaningful work. Work of value. Work that matters. Work that uses your skills, your gifts, your best intentions. Is that hard to find? Does it require a massive search? Embrace the search for meaningful work but remember that it is right in front of you. -- doug smith

Be Careful of Your Measures

Peter Drucker once said "what gets measured gets done" and there is much truth to that. Point people in the direction you want and they will do their best to get there. Just make sure, very sure, that you are measure what you really want and doing it without creating paths to cheating your way there. Given an incentive, people will find a way to achieve it. Most will work fairly but some will be tempted to game the. system, to stack the deck, to churn the number on their own behalf. That's not what you want. Ask yourself this question: how can we measure quantity and quality without gaming the system? Until you've answered that question, you'll never know how accurate, or useful, the measure is. -- doug smith

Too Much?

Don't we all just love information? We love to stay informed. We need to keep up. We believe that our people and our customers need the same. But is there such a thing as too much? How many emails do you get each day that you never read? How many reports do you just scan or skip over entirely? Yes, we need to keep up. Yes, we need the data. Too much information ends up about as useful as too little information. High performance leaders find the balance. -- doug smith

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