Are people willing to take orders from a non-human, robotic boss? - Video

A study conducted by a team of researchers at Human Computer Interaction (MCI) Lab in Manitoba Canada, has revealed evidence that suggests that people can be prodded into doing something they don't want to do, by a robot.

They've posted a blog entry on their web site describing an experiment they carried out to learn more about how people might respond to a robot boss, versus a human one, and the results they found.

The experiment consisted of asking volunteers to complete different tasks, some fun (singing songs they liked), some tedious and boring (changing file name extensions for a very large number of files).

Some of the volunteers were asked to perform the tasks by a human being, others were asked to do the same tasks by a small friendly-looking Aldebaran Nao humanoid robot.

The volunteers and their taskmasters were set up in an office-type environment, with desks set apart from one another.

The participants were filmed as they carried out the experiment and the researchers analyzed the results afterwards.

All of the volunteers were told repeatedly before the experiment that they could stop any task they chose at any time, with no negative consequences.

In studying the video, the researchers found that 46 percent of the volunteers (both male and female) complied with a request to perform a task (which took 80 minutes) they didn't want to do, when asked to do so by the robot, compared to 86 percent compliance when asked by a human "boss."

The researchers note the lower percentage but also point out that nearly half of those who participated complied when asked to do something they didn't want to do, when asked by a robot.

The research is being carried out to learn more about how future humans might interact with future robots in real workplace environments.

The team's initial findings indicate that humans will not summarily dismiss a robot authority figure, and many will do as it asks.

The team plans to continue with its research, no doubt, looking to find the limits of such interactions.

How to Build Influence as a Project Manager

Successful project managers require support from their teams. However, this support cannot be delegated or simply wished into existence. Acquiring the authority to effectively lead a team demands a specific approach.

A project leader must be humble at times and assertive in others, and know when to take charge of a situation and when to delegate roles to members of his or her team.

A big part of succeeding at that is in effectively building influence, often with team members who are not direct employees of the project manager.

Many fail to understand this aspect and walk into project management assuming the role of infallible leader, often inspiring heavy resistance and strained accomplishments.

The guidelines below represent how to properly build influence and establish the authority of a project manager. These are ongoing practices that should organize how instructions and interactions with team members should take place at all times.

Know Where to Partition Labour

Understanding when to delegate authority is an important aspect of leadership. By knowing a team's strengths and weaknesses, a project manager will be able to pass along tasks and decisions for the team members and improve overall efficiency. By doling out responsibility, not only is time saved but everyone on the team becomes more productive.

When delegating, it's important to understand exactly when and to whom power can be entrusted. Not everyone is cut out for a management role, and some are much happier with strict oversight rather than free reign.

Just because a person is excellent at sales, for instance, doesn't mean he or she can manage. And, if a project manager doesn’t keep a careful eye on the individual, the project can lose significant ground. The delayed processes of the sales cycle may not display issues for up to a year or more, resulting in an expanse of lost time, resources and opportunity.

In order to avoid mistaken delegation, try assigning small tasks at first. Have the individual develop a plan, send him or her to do the work, and then evaluate the performance along the way. As the individual improves, increase the task load and/or the complexity of each assignment.

Delegating work will ease the overall burden, but it will also encourage those within the team to work toward a valued end goal and put their trust in the project manager.

Manage by Example

The moment a project manager acts in contrast to his or her own advice is the moment that they lose all credibility. Project managers who truly want the team to respect them and subscribe to their suggestions, must wholeheartedly support their own decisions and back them up with actions.

The most effective way to earn authority is to be a project leader that others want to follow. Be on time. Be kind and considerate. Be efficient with tasks. Be organized. Be fair with others. Set an example for others to follow.

Organise Communication

Communication will always be one of the most vital qualities for effective project management. Developing relationships with team members is critical, and project managers should work to exhibit their true personalities and gain the trust of all coworkers. Effective communication can never be achieved through short emails, incessant demands, or brief interactions; relationships are slowly developed through consistent interaction and honest behavior.

Poor communication has the ability to devastate a project. When NASA lost its Mars orbiter, it was due to the fact that two teams had failed to communicate on the project. One team built the device to metric specifications and the other used inches. This might be an extreme example, but effective communication could have easily solved this $327 million blunder.

When communicating, a project manager should not just assume the role of talker. It is absolutely critical to listen to all team members. Listen, learn and earn the team's respect by valuing members’ input and giving credit where it's due. This will help alleviate any resentment and facilitate collaboration among the group.

Practice Self-Maintenance

Self-maintenance encompasses everything from furthering project management education to working on health. For a project manager to gain respect and enhance authority, he or she must have the knowledge and the capacity to be a true leader. If a team sees its leader as ill-informed, it will be less likely to trust the leader’s judgment. If a project manager cannot perform, the team will be uninspired.

There are incredible resources that can be accessed by enrolling in Web seminars, attending classes or joining a local Project Management Institute chapter. These resources will not only make a project manager’s job easier, but will help the PM to demonstrate their competence to those on the team.

The matter of health may seem a bit trivial but it can be surprisingly important. In 2007, an article in The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine titled “Health and Productivity as a Business Strategy” reported that health-related productivity costs were more than four times the costs of treating those health problems. In other words, taking the time to ensure good health can have enormous benefits for the workplace.

Establish Morals

In the end, all anyone has is their honor; project managers should never let themselves be corrupted by feelings of entitlement. To be a great leader, it is important to acknowledge principles and stick to them. Project managers with strong convictions will be respected by others and can feel pleased with what they have accomplished. Good project managers need to believe in themselves, believe in others and believe in their actions. Even if mistakes are made, the project manager can be satisfied with the fact that he or she made those mistakes with the right intentions.
As a project manager, it can be difficult to organize a team. However, accepting these practices can greatly improve any team’s effectiveness. Always remember that a project manager is not in charge of everyone on the team, but rather is a team leader who can either direct a project to success or confront difficulties at every stage. The simple process of being respectful and fair in all decisions can easily keep every member of the team on the same page.

These practices should make it easier for project managers to complete their projects on time and up to quality. If nothing else, they can leave work content, knowing that they have done the job as well as it could have been done.

Only Hire People Who Learn from Mistakes

Harness the power of learning from mistakes. Some of the great high achievers in this world give credit to their relentless focus on small mistakes.

Recently, researchers at Columbia University divided student subjects into two groups, “grade hungry” and “knowledge hungry” and then tested them with general knowledge questions.

The researchers provided immediate feedback as to whether the subject was right or wrong, and showed them the correct answer. The brain activity of the subjects was monitored throughout, using EEG caps.

The differences in the way the subjects handled the feedback was striking:

• The Knowledge-Hungry paid attention (but not quite as obsessively) to whether they were right or wrong, and they paid significantly more attention to the correct answers. They took advantage of the chance to learn. This contrast was most dramatic when each group got an answer wrong.
• The Knowledge-Hungry activated deep memory regions, indicating they were storing these new facts away for later.
• The Grade-Hungry did not activate the memory regions as deeply, suggesting a far more cursory interest; instead, their brains seemed to feel threatened by learning they’d gotten an answer wrong.
• The Grade-Hungry brains showed a far more emotional, fearful response. They clearly did not like being wrong, and they didn’t care about the acquisition of knowledge along the way.

When both groups of students were later 'surprised' by a retest, using only the questions they’d gotten wrong the first time around, the Knowledge-Hungry group did far better than the Grade-Hungry group. Clearly, they had 'learned' the new knowledge and had not only retained it, but were also able to recall it at will.

So, from a neuromanagement viewpoint, it would make a lot of sense to hire people capable of learning from their mistakes. Hiring the equivalent of the “grade hungry” students will yield employees who are motivated but who, over time, may not improve their performance nearly as much as individuals who internalise lessons learned, when things don’t work perfectly.

The question now is how do you screen candidates for this trait; the ability to learn from their mistakes?

Bhopal Remembered: 25th Anniversary of industrial disaster that killed 4,000 Indian people

Children put candles on the ground during a candle lit vigil on the eve of 25th anniversary the disaster in Bhopal, India.

The Bhopal industrial disaster killed about 4,000 people on Dec 3rd, 1984. According to the government, at least 500,000 people were affected by the gas leak, and activists say that thousands of children, born to parents directly exposed to the gas leak or poisoned by the contaminated water, are suffering from cleft lips, missing palates, twisted limbs.

UK Young and unemployed people in Trade Union Backed demo

Young people from across the UK are to join a demonstration in London, highlighting growing concerns over youth unemployment and lack of opportunities for jobs.The campaign group Youth Fight for Jobs are the central organisers for the demo.

Trade union leaders support this demonstration and will play a part in the protest in central London to press for more action to tackle youth unemployment. Youth unemployment in the UK is nearing a million.

Students, union activists and other campaigners will travel to the capital from areas which have been badly hit by the rise in youth unemployment, including Hull and Birmingham.

Political support
Labour MP John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) said: "This march highlights the plight of the million young people who are now unemployed and the many more who are facing joblessness as a result of this recession."

Young Pay the Price
"Young people are being forced to pay for the economic crisis whilst bankers award themselves another £5 billion in bonuses this month. I support the march and urge people to join this campaign to demand action against youth unemployment."

Union Leaders
Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union said: "Unemployment is a massive human cost to accept. It's even more damaging with one in five young people being unemployed. It's important that we place young people at the core of our aims and objectives, to achieve developing policies for them."

National Organiser
Sean Figg, national organiser for the campaign, added: "This demonstration is going to make it clear that young people are not prepared to face a future of unemployment, job cuts and attacks on our public services.

"Youth unemployment stands at around one million, and disgracefully the Government is cutting vocational education, and is thinking about raising university fees, whilst increasing the level of qualifications needed to find employment."


Summary
All this leads to further cutting out and increased exclusion of the working class youth from further education. When a degree qualification has become the minimum qualification to apply for well paid jobs and this right has been taken away from the poorer classes, you cynically and aggresively remove any chance of the poor from improving their standard of living and their lifestyle.


Excluding and condemning the UK youth to unemployment induced poverty is a recipe for civil unrest and another step towards the breakdown of democracy and a liberal society.

Leadership; 5 easy steps

Becoming an effective leader has been compared to being in the stock market, in a normal year. You don't make your fortune in one day; you make it daily and weekly, a little bit at a time. What matters most is what you do day after day, over a long period of time. The secret to leadership success is investing in your leadership development, much like letting your financial assets compound. The final result "Leadership Growth" over time.

Are leaders born or made, nature or nurture. The process of leadership is long, complex and has many elements. Respect, dignity, discipline, people skills, vision, emotional strength, opportunity, preparedness and experience are just some of the intangible elements which come into play when talking leadership. Calm assertive personalities.

You can, over a period of time, increase your leadership potential if you can understand and accept the five levels of leadership. They are;

Level One - Leadership From Position
This is the basic level of leadership, square 1. At this level people follow you because they have to. Your ability to lead people is totally geared to your position and does not exceed the lines of your job description or the authority granted to you by the company and your boss. Your security with the company is based on title and position, not talent. They salute the uniform not the man.

To be an effective leader at this level know your job, be prepared to accept responsibility, exercise authority with caution, assess the strengths and short comings of your people, do more than what is expected and challenge people with interesting and tough assignments.

Positional Level is the doorway to leadership and every successful leader must pass through this doorway.

Level Two - Leadership From Respect
At the respect level of leadership people follow you because they want to. The core of Leadership From Respect is that people want to know that you care and understand about them and their viewpoint (empathy). You have to accomplish this before they care about or will consider or value, what you know. People see you as a professional partner, sharing the similar goals and challenges along the way. Leadership will flourish with respect, because respect breeds lasting trusted professional relationships and therefore forms the basis for effective leadership.

To be effective at the respect level, you need to possess (develop) a genuine concern for your people. It is important that you see life through their eyes. Deal thoughtfully and wisely with, apparently difficult people. Cultivate success and make employees successful by setting them up for success. Give them an appetite for it and stand back.

Since leadership from respect is built on professional relationships, it forms the foundation for leadership success.

Level Three - Leadership From Results
People follow you because of what you have done for the company. People admire you for your accomplishments and respect your tenacity. At this point leadership becomes fun. Going to work is fun, work related challenges are seen to be opportunities for a more stable work environment and all tasks have a purpose in the minds of the employees. Good things happen at the results level. Making profit, low employee turnover, higher employee morale and solving problems with ease are some of the items that become evident at this level.

To be an effective leader at this level be prepared to initiate and accept responsibility for growth by developing a purpose and seeing it through to completion. Develop accountability for results, beginning with yourself and ending with your people. Make the difficult decisions that will result in positive long term gains while championing change as a change agent and understanding the need for and the process of change.

Leadership from results is built on admiration and respect for the leader.

Level Four - Leadership From People Development
People follow you because of what you have done for them. It is a leader's responsibility to develop their people to do the work that is expected to contribute future growth opportunities to the company and the people who serve it. People are loyal to you because they see first hand personal growth opportunities for them as well as, the company. Leadership success is underscored by a win - win scenario and a high commitment to success.

To be effective at this level place a priority on developing people. Focus your attention on the fact that people are your most valuable asset and your leadership success will depend on your ability to surround yourself with an inner core of competent people who compliment your leadership style and goals.

Leadership from people development is built on honesty, commitment and loyalty.

Level Five - Leadership From Mentorship
People follow you because they respect you. As a leader you have credibility, you may appear larger than life and your success is shown through a life of proven accomplishments. People seek you out after you have left the company because you have left an indelible mark on the organisation, its employees and its clients. Although less than five per cent of all leaders will attain this level of leadership, it is a level worth striving for.

In summary, everyone can become a good or better leader. It is important to keep in mind that the higher you want to go up the leadership scale, the longer it takes to accomplish results and the higher the commitment will need to be. It is imperative that we know what level we are on with our people, the team and the company.

The People Power Triangle

I have composed a simple diagram that illustrates the 3 most important things you need in life or business, to truly succeed. At the risk of patronising you, let me point out the message.

To gain Authority, People need Knowledge and Experience.
To gain Knowledge, we need Money to pay for our studies.
To gain Experience, we need to spend Time applying our Knowledge.

HR - New Start Integration

DIS - Dynamic integration support in a rapidly changing, cost conscious and fast growing enterprise

The dynamic integration support process will supplement and enhance the services provided by the organisations stressed-out HR staff and management team. The consultant addresses the volatile requirements of stakeholders both in the rapid uptake of candidates and in their effective integration into the new environment. The consultant decreases the time taken to assimilate new staff and embed them into the team and organisation, maximising their effectiveness and motivation throughout.

Chief Executives

Dynamic integration in a rapidly changing 'cost conscious' enterprise is able to support and supplement the HR staff in addressing the 'cost versus talent' argument by supplying focused coaching skills to candidates that may be less qualified, less experienced or unused to the new environment that they find themselves in. Free from this responsibility, the HR team can then concentrate on sourcing candidates with the greatest potential and the right motivation to grow without worrying about precision skills matching and the integration of candidates that may have different or unmatched energy levels and personalities from the incumbent team.

Hierarchy awareness and Buy-in

The DIS process also requires that the managing environment and team understand the changing team dynamics and that they are also positively managed through this period. Working on behalf of the organisation and the team, the DIS process ensures the rapid uptake of new skills and knowledge by the candidate. Supplying the provision of a mentor to manage the changes and to mitigate or resolve any risks or issues, envisaged or arising. The consultant will establish a buffer or de-militarised zone to allow the free flow of dialogue and negotiation, minimising disruption to the team’s effectiveness and to managerial goals.

Performance enhancements realised

It is vital to be able to positively manage the organisational expectations coming from forthcoming changes in staffing levels and the introduction of new skills and personalities. The organisation must maintain team and goal cohesiveness and remain focused on moving forward, not at the same pace but with greater efficiency, greater capability and rapid growth. To do this you need to increase effective integration rates and decrease staff fall-out and turnover. The loss of experience from an organisation is taking the life blood out of it, in the form of loyalty, commitment and hard-won knowledge. Thus compelling them to make the same mistakes over and over again and sustain losses repeatedly.

Finance Officers placated

By supporting the management from within, the stakeholders’ expected benefits, established goals and ROI can be truly realised and even exceeded with the correct level of coaching and mentoring, targeted at the right people, time and place.

Operational success

Left to their own devices a new candidate and the installed team will take up to 3 months to fully integrate and become truly effective to the organisation. The first 6 weeks will find the candidate isolated and floundering to find knowledge and develop new skills on his own initiative whilst the installed team circle around them, sizing and testing this new guy. No organisation can afford to wait that long for a return, especially if it is ‘disappointing’. If you are left wondering why the increase in numbers does not relate to a direct increase in revenue, we have the answers for you. We will be happy to support you. Contact me on kenwbudd@lycos.co.uk

Team integration issues - example

As a new start, it is at this time the candidate will bond with, or be be-friended by, one or some of the team but not all. This may not be with the positive thinking, forward thinking group that you would want them to join. In fact it is more likely to be with other members of the team that have become isolated and withdrawn.

If this trend continues then the team dynamics will start to move in the wrong direction, because every new candidate will be drawn to, recruited by or be-friended by, the ‘outsiders’. The team will start to experience a new division instead of an integration. A divided team is very un-focused, difficult to re-unite and the devil to manage effectively.

Cause and effect

Circumstances like this lead to overloading or repeated distraction of the next level of management, keeping them away from their core activities. Instead they find themselves increasingly involved in ‘territorial’ disputes and trivial ‘personality’ clashes. The intended growth of the organisation is diverted or worse, stalled and, because of the push on recruiting and taking on of new staff, suddenly you now have greater overheads.Unless rectified the company is heading for a self-destructive downward spiral.

Your operational managers are faced with issues that began a long time back and have now become established and possibly cultural. In the words of the Irish philosophers ‘If you were trying to get to Dublin city quickly, I would not have started from here!’