The Psychology of Fear in Organizations by Sheila Keegan

The Psychology of Fear in Organizations by Sheila Keegan

Author:Sheila Keegan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kogan Page


Survival of the fittest vs cooperative behaviour

‘Survival of the fittest’ is one of those assumed truisms of evolution. It has become adopted within many work organizations as an explanation or justification for management policy. The strong survive and thrive and the weak are discarded or culled, as it is now sometimes called – only partly ironically. However, survival of the fittest is only half the story. In Western culture we have an ingrained tendency to think in terms of either/or. If A is true, then B must be false. So, if survival of the fittest is true, then cooperation between animals – or between human beings – must, by definition, be false. But this is not what actually happens. Both survival of the fittest and cooperation strategies are part and parcel of human existence. The strategy adopted depends on the circumstances. According to Martin A Nowak, writing in Scientific American, far from being a nagging exception to the rule of evolution, cooperation has been one of its primary architects. Indeed, without cooperation, human beings would never have got off the ground as a species. And, of course, it is patently obvious from our own experience in day-to-day life that human beings are genetically and socially primed to cooperate with others – with complete strangers as well as family and friends – even where the individual him/herself may be harmed in the process.

In April 2011, as reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan were melting down following a lethal earthquake and tsunami, a maintenance worker in his 20s was one of those who volunteered to re-enter the plant to try to help bring things back under control. He knew the air was poisoned and expected the choice would keep him from ever marrying or having children for fear of burdening them with health consequences. Yet he still walked back through Fukushima’s gates into the plant’s radiation-infused air and got to work – for no more compensation than his usual modest wages.

‘There are only some of us who can do this job,’ the worker (who wished to remain anonymous) explained. ‘I’m single and young and I feel it’s my duty to help settle this problem.’3

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Selfless behaviour abounds in nature. Cells within an organism coordinate to keep their division in check and avoid causing cancer; female lions within a pride will suckle one another’s young. And humans help other humans to do everything from obtaining food to finding mates to defending territory. Retaining these cooperative instincts in the workplace is a natural drive within employees. It boosts employee satisfaction, just as it boosts productivity and profits. So, too, in the workplace, cooperation is usually the norm and, provided the work climate and relationships with colleagues and managers are not undermined or corrupted in some way, most employees are generally happier when working productively and cooperatively. Indeed cooperation is a crucial aspect of most employees’ sense of engagement and satisfaction within their workplace. We disrupt these mutually supportive working patterns at our peril.



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