Comments on: Behavioral Economics: Every Action Has A Value or A Cost

By: Phil Gerbyshak

Phil Gerbyshak — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 20:40:00 +0000

Great post Jim. People are the potatoes that hold organizations together, and we really should treat them as such. Thanks for the reminder! Make it a great day!

By: Pat Farrell

Pat Farrell — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 16:39:00 +0000

Pat Farrell, San Diego
Hi Jim:
In response to Nancy, We CAN’T change someone else’s behavior. We can only change how we respond to that behavior. Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If we keep reacting to someone’s behavior we are modeling how we want them to respond to us. Choosing our response will eventually show them, consciously or subconsciously, that we will no longer respond to that kind of behavior.

My daughter used to be a drama queen and I would get hooked right in (guilt probably because I divorced their father). When I stopped getting hooked in by her drama, she stopped being a drama queen. It takes practice to respond rather than react but it’s well worth the effort.

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 22:08:00 +0000

Jim,

The number one reason why we don't get an agreement to change is we never ask for it. Managers tell employees what they did wrong and what will happen if they do the "thing" again, but rarely do we say, "I expected x to happen and y occurred. Tell me what's going on."

After listening and responding appropriately, all that's left is to ask, "I'd like your agreement to resolve this going forward. Can I count on you?"

If you are concerned about resistance, you can have a list of the good business reasons and the logical outcomes of continued behavior ready if you need them.

Behavioral economics is all about quantifying the effect in the cause & effect equation.

Randy

By: Pamela Truax

Pamela Truax — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 22:07:00 +0000

Jim – well said!!! Thank you for your succinct message so well put! Pamela in SD…

By: Pamela Truax

Pamela Truax — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 22:06:00 +0000

Jim,
I am enjoying your blog… nicely said!!! Pamela T in SD.

By: Jim Cathcart's Blog

Jim Cathcart's Blog — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 19:19:00 +0000

Nancy, to change someone else’s costly behavior the first step is to confront it. They must become aware of the need to change and the cost of continuing along the existing path.
Second, they must agree to change. This is where skill comes in. We must find the most diplomatic and yet effective way to get another to see the value of changing and make it easy for them to commit to the change.
A starting point for all organizations is education. If we let all our people know that behaviors: attitudes, mindsets, relationship techniques and even personal habit patterns all have a value or a cost, then change is more likely. We must help everyone realize that every action counts.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 17:38:00 +0000

Jim,

Interesting. I am very much on board with taking responsibility to change OUR OWN behavior. But, what are some things a person can do to change ANOTHER person's behavior because that behavior is "costing" too much?

Nancy