What Evolutionary Psychology Teaches Us About How To Influence People | Michael Morris
Michael Morris, Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership at Columbia Business School, discusses how tribal instincts, often misunderstood, can be harnessed for powerful and productive leadership and influence at home and work, distinguishing them from negative 'tribalism'.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
Introduction: The Upside of Tribalism and Tribal Instincts
Guest's Background and Cultural Psychology Research
Leadership Through Culture and Harnessing Tribal Instincts
Evolutionary Origins of Human Tribal Instincts
The Peer Instinct: Collaboration and Conformity
The Hero Instinct: Pro-Social Acts and Prestige Learning
The Ancestor Instinct: Traditions and Cultural Accumulation
Harnessing Tribal Instincts: Situational Triggering vs. Cultural Evolution
Situational Triggering: Code Switching, Symbols, and Ceremonies
Practical Application of Rituals in Organizations and Daily Life
Harnessing Peer and Hero Instincts in the Workplace
The Power of Icons and Slogans in Community Building
Case Study: Mary Barra's Cultural Transformation at GM
Mitigating the Risks of Tribalism and Polarization
Effective Strategies for Bridging Partisan Divides
8 Key Concepts
Cultural Psychology
A subfield of behavioral science that studies the frames and scripts in people's minds, conferred by various cultures (national, religious, organizational, professional). It uses experimental psychology to understand what triggers these cultural frames and what causes them to change over time.
Tribal Instincts
Human-specific adaptations wired by evolution to internalize the patterns of communities that nurture us and to express those patterns to connect with fellow members. These instincts enable the unique human form of social organization, the 'tribe,' which is a large community united by shared ideas and practices.
Peer Instinct
The first wave of tribal instincts, causing an urge to match and mesh with the behaviors of classmates, neighbors, and co-workers. This instinct enabled early humans to work in concert, like hunting or foraging collectively, and is the foundation of human culture and collaboration, fostering collective thinking.
Hero Instinct
The second wave of tribal instincts, driving individuals to contribute what the group needs, even if it involves personal sacrifice, to gain a reputation and social rewards. It causes us to look to people with status and success (prestige learning) to infer what the group values and then emulate their contributions.
Ancestor Instinct
The final wave of tribal instincts, creating a sentimentality about past generations and a desire to perpetuate traditions and maintain inherited wisdom. This instinct created tribal memory and collective-level memory, allowing human groups to accumulate knowledge rather than reinventing it each generation.
Cultural Accumulation
A critical evolutionary breakthrough resulting from the ancestor instinct, where human groups started accumulating more and more shared knowledge with each generation while retaining most inherited knowledge. This process enriched the collective pool of knowledge, making human groups progressively wiser without individual brains necessarily getting bigger.
Code Switching
The natural, often unconscious, shifting of one's lexicon and speech register based on the audience or social context. This adaptive behavior helps the audience understand and trust the speaker better by demonstrating shared experience and in-group ways of talking.
Prestige Learning
A mechanism developed through the hero instinct where individuals observe people with status and success, inferring that their actions are valued by the group. This leads to emulation of those behaviors, incentivizing adaptive change within the group.
7 Questions Answered
The core argument is that while 'tribalism' often gets a bad rap for dysfunctional conflict, the underlying 'tribal instincts' are fundamental human adaptations that enabled our species to thrive and can be harnessed constructively for leadership and collaboration.
Tribal instincts allowed humans to form large, cooperative communities bound by shared ideas and practices, unlike other primates limited by kin or dyadic bonds. This enabled collaboration, shared knowledge, and ultimately propelled humans to the top of the food chain.
The three major waves are the peer instinct (for coordinated action and conformity), the hero instinct (for pro-social acts and emulating successful individuals), and the ancestor instinct (for perpetuating traditions and cultural memory).
Individuals can harness tribal instincts by understanding that cultures are dynamic and can be influenced through situational triggering (e.g., using symbols, ceremonies, or code-switching) or through longer-term cultural evolution, to rally motivation and guide group behavior.
Organizations are pushing for a return to the office because while individual productivity might have increased during remote work, collective productivity and coordination suffered. The office environment acts as a trigger for shared organizational culture, activating peer and hero instincts through audiences, familiar sights, and symbols, which fosters coordination.
Symbols like logos, mascots, or even slogans, and ceremonies like award events or team rituals, can create psychological states that foster unity, rally group drive, and connect members to shared history and ideals. They act as 'cognitive prosthetics' to achieve desired states of awareness and collective identity.
To avoid negative tribalism, it's crucial to prevent tribal instincts from operating unchecked. For instance, when bridging partisan divides, programs that focus on shared non-political passions (like hobbies or community interests) are more effective than those explicitly highlighting political differences, as the former reduces defenses and fosters deeper connection.
14 Actionable Insights
1. Understand Human Tribal Instincts
Recognize that humans are wired by evolution to internalize and express cultural patterns, which enables trust and collaboration in large communities. This fundamental understanding is key to effectively leveraging these inherent instincts.
2. Broaden Your Leadership Definition
Adopt a ‘small l leadership’ mindset, understanding that leadership encompasses all deliberate ways you affect other people, regardless of your formal role. This empowers you to guide various communities, from work teams to family groups, by influencing their shared culture.
3. Lead Through Culture
Recognize that wise leaders intuitively tap into people’s identities and traditions to rally motivation and introduce new ideas. Use behavioral science insights to consciously identify and pull these cultural levers for effective leadership.
4. Leverage Physical Environment
Design physical spaces like offices to act as cultural triggers, using familiar sights, sounds, and displays of ideals (e.g., logos, mission statements, founder photos). This fosters coordination and reinforces adherence to shared organizational values.
5. Implement Rituals & Ceremonies
Organize group events with synchronous movement, vocalization, and references to collective history to foster a sense of unity and tradition. These ceremonies, even simple ones, create meaningful continuity and a shared psychological experience.
6. Deploy Symbols & Icons
Utilize visual symbols, icons, and totems (e.g., flags, mascots, corporate logos) within your group’s environment. These serve as powerful triggers to rally members’ drive to contribute and uphold the group’s standards and ideals.
7. Craft Unique Slogans
Develop and consistently use unique slogans and catchphrases specific to your in-group or organization. These verbal symbols act as compacted semantic content that makes insiders feel connected and helps new members understand the shared culture.
8. Practice Code Switching
Spontaneously adjust your lexicon and speech patterns (code switching) when interacting with different audiences or groups. This demonstrates shared experience, helping foster understanding and build trust with those in front of you.
9. Use In-Group Language
Incorporate unique terms, inside jokes, and specific language into your group’s communication. This reinforces a sense of belonging for insiders and helps new members integrate by learning these cultural cues.
10. Signal Change Symbolically
To initiate significant cultural transformation, identify a symbolically resonant policy or tradition that doesn’t affect core operations and change it visibly. This creates a ‘shockwave’ that signals new directions and empowers people to take ownership.
11. Create Bold Vision Slogans
When articulating a new vision or strategic direction, condense it into a bold, memorable slogan. This helps to clearly communicate the vision, rally support, and make it easily shareable and understood by all members.
12. Change Environment for Innovation
When seeking to rethink strategy or brainstorm entirely new ideas, intentionally hold meetings or retreats in a setting very different from your usual environment. This removes everyday cultural triggers, allowing access to alternative modes of thinking and fostering innovation.
13. Utilize Cognitive Prosthetics
Employ icons, mandalas, or statues in specific environments to help people achieve desired psychological states like spiritual awareness, reverence, or mindfulness of tradition. These objects can create powerful and tangible psychological effects.
14. Bridge Divides with Shared Passions
To mitigate ‘us vs. them’ polarization, bring people from opposing groups together to discuss shared non-political passions rather than explicitly political topics. This fosters deeper, less defensive conversations and can lead to teachable moments.
4 Key Quotes
Solidarity does not imply hostility.
Dan Harris (quoting Michael Morris)
Human nature is nurture.
Michael Morris
If I saw far, it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants.
Michael Morris (quoting Isaac Newton)
Never worrying alone.
Dan Harris