Gullibility

Is Gordon Brown The Alpha Squirrel Monkey?

2008-07-26T10:53:00.010+01:00

image credit - The Daily Mail

Followers of British politics will be familiar with the serious problems Gordon Brown seems to be having. The man who had a fearsome reputation seems to be coming unstuck and yet he still persists in claiming to be 'the right man for the job' despite dis confirming evidence.

So how can this behaviour be explained?

An analogy can drawn with the Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri Sciureus)a small primate that lives in central and south America.

Squirrel Monkey life is governed by hierarchies that were studied in the 1970s by Professor D.Ploog who noticed a very interesting fact about their behaviour. He noted that the most senior (alpha) male only reacted to threats to his position when they were communicated by the second in line (beta) male and he ignored and disbelieved communication of threat from monkeys lower down the hierarchy!

Hierarchies are, of course, a fundamental aspect of most social organisation. Even the egalitarian notion of Kibbutz resorted after time to natural hierarchy. They reflect our need for independence whilst at the same time having a need to belong, our need to co-operate and compete, our need to control and delegate, our need to lead and to follow, and our need to split activities up and to collaborate.

As you know, Hierarchies can be functional and dysfunctional. When they are dysfunctional they are a source of frustration, anger and misdirected effort. An example would be when the higher ranks blame the lower ranks for failures. Some management writers such as Bob Garret note how the people who are at the top of hierarchies operate from a mind-set that says 'I've Made It', which is directly tied to the Squirrel Monkey habit of 'Not Listening'.

Check out The Fish Rots From The Head for more.

Radovan Karadzic : Has A Chicken Come Home To Roost?

2008-07-22T07:32:00.007+01:00

image credit - Evstafiev via Wikipedia

Depending on who you are it is likely that as you read this post you will exhibit a reaction that is explained by Social Judgement Theory which explains how we almost instantaneously decide if we agree or disagree with a view point or proposal.

You will either be very pleased that Karadzic has been arrested, or as The BBC describe as someone is not at all pleased and the reason why:

"Heavily armed special forces were deployed around the war crimes court in Belgrade - apparently fearing a backlash from nationalists who consider Mr Karadzic a hero"

Regardless of 'ego involvment' a common observation must concern the gullibility of Doctor of Psychiatry Mr Karadzic. This evidence for gullibility seems to show Mr Karadzic operating 'as if' he was immune to the historical pattern that runs something like - people who are allegedly involved with War Crimes tend to get caught in the long run.

Has A Chicken Come Home To Roost?

Why Are 18% Of UK Young People Bored?

2008-07-19T07:02:00.008+01:00

According to recent research by the London School of Economics (LSE) 18% of young people in the UK do nothing except wander the streets living off their parents and or benefits.

Usually their behaviour is explained away as a 'nurture' problem, you know, something along the lines of "bless them, we need to support them by creating opportunities and educating them, or as a 'nature' problem, "these kids lack motivation what they need is a short sharp shock, preferably in the military"

The difference between these two approaches is a classic case of how underlying philosophy determines i) how the problem is characterised and ii) what solutions are regarded as valid.

You might know the 'light bulb' gag that captures what is going off here.

Q."How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?"

A."None"...the light bulb has to want to change!"

What neither of these approaches seem to take into consideration are alternative explanations about why these kids resist attempts to influence their behaviour. They also seem to presume a singular cause and effect.

Even a cursory look at the Social Influence literature will show that we are dealing with a complex combination of cognitive , social and environmental factors, which implies that the problem needs addressing in all these areas simultaneously.

Particularly interesting is the notion of Reactance the emotional response to an influence or persuasion attempt that is perceived to inhibit freedom of action and choice. In the case of 'the 18% they are experiencing an un-natural version of society. Un-natural in the sense that most of us know that participating in our society means that we have to learn to give up some of our independence (freedom and choice) in order to contribute to the peace and welfare of others and get along in a neighbourly way.

Because these youngsters experience a form of societal freedom that many of us do not, reactance to any and all initiatives should be expected. The nature approach will clearly interfere with their experience of 'freedom' and the nurture approach will fail too because it is offering social structures that are seen by the "18%" as thinly disguised initiatives to curb their independence, not as wonderful opportunities to a new sunny horizon of intellectual insight or vocational prestige.

So what are we left with? It is unlikely that overcoming the inertia will be done through appeals to higher ideals such as "its good to participate in society", "just think what it'll be like to earn a living". Offering a choice to these youngsters is misguided too because the deep roots of their attitude reach way down into their anti-societal version of 'freedom'. The change has to be imposed on them before there will any prospect of attitude change.

That means we have a) The Military - and they don't want to waste time and energy on low calibre recruits. Witness military unease with UK National Service in the 1950s. b) Education - aah that old liberal stalwart! - so we just fill our educational establishments with a load of light bulbs,or

c) my favoured option Social Service. No questions, no excuses, formalised, standard 8 hour working day, structured, minimum wage and long-term no 'release' date (most of aren't released form work until we retire note!)

This might mean the 18% will reduce to 1%...and that or course begs the question what do we do with them? I suggest we hurry along missions to the Moon and Mars!

How Gullible Is Jacqui Smith on Knife Crime?

2008-07-13T09:35:00.007+01:00

Does Jacqui Smith sincerely believe that visiting an accident and emergency ward to shock knife carriers into greater awareness of the consequences of their actions will work? Ask yourself...does seeing a picture like this stop you from committing knife crime or is it something else?

People who carry knives exist in a dogmatic 'short term' and 'narcissistic' mindset. The only reaction you will get from these types is 'yeah? so what?' The mind-set problem is much more profound and much more resilient to change than she thinks.

This is a typical 'managerialist' reaction to convey (dare I say socially influence the public) into perceiving some degree of pro activeness on the part of the government. Very often though pro activeness is re activeness in disguise (Bob Garratt)

The value Meme of these people needs addressing and as my previous post explained, we are dealing with the vMeme of 'The King of Cats'. These people will only understand 'consequences' for themselves, they cannot relate to consequences for others!

What do you think?

Visiting Hospital to See Stab Victims Will Reduce Knife Crime ( surveys)

Knife Crime : The Mindset of 'The King of Cats'

2008-07-12T07:22:00.014+01:00

"Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do." Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet

One of the exasperating aspects of the apparent rise in UK Knife Crime is the gullibility of the protagonists. Gullibility in the sense of complete lack of understanding about the reach and term of the consequences of their actions.

The immaturity, ignorance, and socio-pathic attitude of the perpetrators seems to suggest that they see themselves as engaged in a perverse combination of Tag and King of the Castle

Unlike the school yard origination of these games, the knife wielding teenage 'players' use our streets as their playground. A playground that is devoid of mature adult influence and innocence, a playground where obsession with 'selfhood' and 'status' are believed to be essential statements of who you are. Using a knife to snuff out the light of one life to make your own appear brighter is the only option these individuals seem to see for 'being someone'

Tackling knife crime is a 'mind-set' challenge. How can we provide meaningful alternatives to teenagers who are dogmaticaly locked into believing their view is 'normal', acceptable, or simply the way it is?

Shakespeare saw the problem in Romeo and Juliet:

Benvolio. "I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me."

Tybalt. "What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:
Have at thee, coward!"

Benvolio attempts to socially influence the street argument between the Monatgues and the Capulets towards a non violent outcome. Benvolio represents people who are aware of the waste and consequences of violence. Tybalt is the personification of the frustrating mind-set held by the blade carrying teenagers walking the streets of the UK who don't understand the meaning of 'Life'

Life:

We only have one.

We don't have 'lives' like a computer game or a cat.

Taking a life affects your life

Taking a life affects the life of others

Life could mean 'Life'

Mercutio points this lack of care for the consequences by calling Tybalt the 'King of Cats', ironically pointing out that Tybalt might think he has 9 lives but, as we know, he only has one. Had Shakespeare written today would he have used something like 'King of Gears of War', or 'King of Call of Duty?'

Stopping Knife crime means changing the mind-set of the King of Cats

The Landscape of Social Psychology

2008-07-08T07:47:00.009+01:00

image credit itv.com

If you have more the typical 'soap opera' interest in social affairs, then the chances are that you will curious about aspects of Social Psychology.

A good jumping off point is Social Psychology Arena which is a great resource for books and journals ranging from general interest through to academic texts.

If this post has been successful in influencing your attitude and behaviour in any way then that is probably down to principles that early Greeks associated with Rhetoric namely:

Ethos - (good character) - hopefully you feel that Gullibility has some integrity
Logos - (an effective message) - what's being said is of value to you
Pathos - (control of emotions) - the tone is balanced yet enthusiastic

Or perhaps some of Aristotle's (Pratkanis et al 2007) notions of scarcity, credibility and vividness apply. i.e the information being offered is not general knowledge, it is believable, it is captivating and creates images in your minds eye.

In particular I find the notion of Landscaping or pre-persuasion extremely fascinating. For example, the post previous to this one might be termed 'landscaping' as it was a way of preparing the audience for what is to come next.

It is interesting to note that in many 'organisational change programmes' the 'set-up' or landscaping is often underplayed or omitted, and frequently this condemns the change intervention to failure. Pratkanis defines landscaping as "structuring the situation in such a way that the target is likely to be receptive to a given course of action and respond in a desired manner" Unskilled people who have 'power' or 'believe' they have power will ignore landscaping and assume that their position or authority will enforce any change required.

It is also interesting to note how many skilled 'landscapers' there are though - magicians, politicians, con artists, adulterers, cult leaders, abusers etc etc.

Hmmm... perhaps I should set up the Capability Brown awards for examples of Excellent Social Influence Landscape Design.

Who would you nominate?

Ssssssocial Influence

2008-07-07T12:09:00.004+01:00

I'm developing a new category called Social Influence to give more focus to aspects of applied social psychology and their connection to the phenomenon of Gullibility. The foundational studies of human behavior in this area have been around for some years with Le Bons 1895 work of The Crowd, through Sherif in 1935 and Social Judgement to Bob Cialdini in the 1980s and recently an academic journal specialising in this area called spookily Social Influence and first published in 2006 (see Social Influence

I'm presently reading The Science of Social Influence edited by Anthony R. Pratkanis - Psychology Press 2007. This is a fascinating collection of articles and provides a great overview of the area which Pratkanis says is "vast and thus can be daunting fro a new researcher"

So what's this topic all about? Well...Pratkanis gives a neat summary in chapter one when he says:

"Do you ever wonder why people do things? For example, why, all of a sudden, is everyone wearing the same purple shirt of the same hairstyle or using the same cool, groovy, or ist it spot jargon to describe what they like and agree with? How can a group of people watch someone else commit acts of violence and not intervene?...Why does a seemingly normal person give his or he money to a con criminal? What happens to get us to purchase things on the used car lot or the cosmetic counter or the infomercial? ...How does a small group (and sometimes just one person) come to change the behaviour and folkways of an entire community...And perhaps most importantly how can we resist unwanted and undesirable social influence attempts?

He goes to say on page 6 is that:

"One of the most important findings to come out of research on social influence is that situations are more powerful in controlling behaviour than we normally think (Ross Nisbett 1991) To account for this state of affairs, Lee Ross (1977) coined the term 'fundamental attribution error" for the tendency to over emphasise dispositional explanations for behaviours observed in others while under emphasising the role of power and situational influences.

So, with Mowgli in mind, Kaa couldn't have exerted influence outside of the jungle situation, where he could use his physical power over the weaker and vulnerable boy.

..."Social influence researchers tend to be wary of explanations that rely heavily on the dispositional causes such as -people conform because they are gullible" Pratkanis in his 2006 paper 'Why would anyone do or believe such as thing? A Social Influence Analysis." - in Sternberg, Roediger, Halpern - Critical Thinking In Psychology - Cambride University Press argues that there hasn't yet been the discovery of a gullibility or persuadeability factor in episodes of social influence... It merely names the thing without explaining it.

This, of course, is great news for the Gullibility Club...it never was our fault it seems! What do you think?

How About An Interdependence day?

2008-07-04T07:49:00.003+01:00

Happy Independence Day to all our US readers!. Its amazing what can happen after a tea party isn't it! That's why I just drink coffee now.

Independence is a curious thing don't you think? It has to rely on some sense of 'sameness' and 'difference' that we hold, which begs the question at what level of analysis does 'independence' kick in.

It may surprise you to know that in 1945 The Vietnamese thought their position in relation to the French Empire was very similar to the Americans in 1776 (ironic that the first country to recognise the USA was France) and their declaration of independence was inspired by the American model.

In the final analysis we are all ultimately 'independent' of each other and Carl Jungs idea of individuation suggests that this is a prime driving force of every human being.

Curiously though, in today's globally connected world can any of us be truly independent? Maybe its a case of 'both and and' rather than 'either' - 'or'? Independent in the sense of 'free' to choose, 'free' to express, yet interdependent because 'not just anything goes' or 'one absolute way is right'. Everything we do as an independent human being affects the rest of the world. OK some effects may be a small as the flap of a butterflies wings, others are the cumulative effects of many individuals like global warming, and others still are the far reaching consequences of a single dramatic action (good or bad)

So...should we have an Interdependence Day too? Let me know! (Although its your right to choose of course)

Dogmatism Eat Dogmatism : The Avoidance of Doubt

2008-07-03T15:10:00.004+01:00

Regular readers of Gullibility will know that a key theme throughout its posts is the development of healthy skepticism and doubt.

Recently however I have been given pause to ponder on this matter because a close family member has decided to join the British Parachute Regiment

Naturally military service requires the following of orders and therefore the abdication of a certain degree of freedom of decision making (especially in the lower ranks) That said in order to cope with ambiguous and complex battlefield environments the Parachute Regiment motto ’Utrinque Paratus’ (‘Ready for Anything’). suggests at the same time the need to open minded and aware.

The dilemma I faced was whether it was sensible to begin a discussion about 'consequences', 'possibilities' and 'alternatives' and introduce an element of doubt into conversations with my family member. As comdeian and ex-para Billy Connolly sang, being in the Army is not just about 'sunshine and skis' there are very real personal and physical implications.

Surely though in a live military context this could be a dangerous luxury? At moments where life -saving instinctive reactions are needed lapsing into reflective introspection might not be the most effective course of action. Being certain of one's capability must be an asset.

It seems therefore that there are times and places in our lives where doubt should be avoided. The irony is that it seems western military dogmatism is necessary to defeat fundamentalist terrorist dogmatism...a sort of Dogmatism eat Dogmatism if you will.

What would you do if you were in my place? Would you raise your doubts?

Terry Pratchett Understands Gullibility

2008-06-23T22:36:00.005+01:00

image credit www.guardian.co.uk

Three great quotes.

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.

The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head.

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.

Thanks to brainy quote

Shopping For A Degree? Try Our BA in Consumerism

2008-06-23T19:31:00.008+01:00

A colleague of mine opens his introduction to first year students with the announcement that they all have "his permission to fail". This is part of the 'bucket of cold water' that is needed to wake students up to the fact that need to take as much responsibility for their learning as the lecturers and tutors.

Once again we are seeing the undigested lifting of a managerialist notion called 'The Customer' and squeezinging it into an alternative context. The issue of whether students should be regarded as customers or learners is receiving alot of attention as students (and their parents) believe that they are 'buying' a qualification rather than the opportunity to study for one.

I feel that I'm qualified to criticise the unthinking and frequently half baked understanding of both the Marketing Philosophy and Higher Education Philosophy that we see around us having spent a significant portion of my career in Competitive Strategy roles at board level in commercial organisations and more recently as a lecturer, (students learning) researcher and consultant (managers learning).

Frequently Marketing is mistaken for customer worship i.e. giving customers whatever they ask for just because they believe they think know what they want. It is also a 'commercially' conceived notion whose dark side is manifested in rampant consumerism and waste. Often the fact that it is deeply concerned with value, what is valued, how it is valued and who values it is missed.

Higher Education is frequently mistaken for 'teaching' a mere extension of high school but in a bit more subject detail. Educationalists do themselves a dis-service by failing to 'market' themselves effectively because the underlying purpose and rationale of transformative adult education is not explicitly expressed in ways that the 'educationally inexperienced' can appreciate.

The problem with the term 'Customer' is that it is a generic idea, a level of abstraction or categorisation that is too large for specific meaning. Students are a particular type of user of services, in the same way that patients are patients, passengers are passengers, and sports fans are sports fans. These labels are in fact the peitomy of 'marketing' because they more precisely define the consumer and user in ways that the term 'Customer' can't!!

Having participated in an organisation wide initiative to introduce the principles and practices of CRM (customer relationship management) in a university it is daunting to see how superficially and tritely many people see the idea. Lets look at students as customers comes the mantra! and lets get everyone who has cared for the student experience for most of their professional live 'customer orientated'. Something might be broken so lets fix it before we find out what it is! Students are now customers is the simplified utterance of the simplistic mind. The term 'customer' in the educational context is simply a 'metaphor' and like all metaphors it has helpful parts and unhelpful parts.

Helpful because it sensitises people to the needs of others and the possibility of competitive alternatives, unhelpful because when left unchecked it reinforces the irresponsible mindset of the consumerist that drives a whole raft of unhelpful behaviours and ignores anyone asking the question 'what part do I play in this situation'

Students (and having been one and being one yet again too I feel I have a valid opinion)have a particular and unique role. Yes they can expect good guidance, and a good learning experience. No they can't set the agenda for what is learned and how to learn it because they lack the knowledge and experience to make a qualified judgement.

So, forget 'customers' To try another metaphor,what if students prior to their qualification (undergraduate, masters and doctoral) can be thought of as auditionees in a talent show. Imagine the stage...some performers are uniquely gifted and don't even know it, some are utterly deluded about their capability. If the consumerist bandwagon gathers greater momentum then more and more of the deluded performers will be arguing with the adjudicators about their ability to judge their performance...and of course Nellie Frump singing to her mirror in the bath is better than Madonna simply because she thinks so and has no idea what the standards are.

Would The X Factor, Britain and Americas got Talent charge for an entry? I don't think so, because then the people with the None Dancing Ferrets might think they have a right to win!!

UK Candid Camera Classics - Goldfish Delicacy

2008-06-20T11:43:00.001+01:00

I am suprised and annoyed at myself for not being aware that Jonathan Routh Master Practioner of the Expert Dupe passed away on June the 4th.

If ever someone was able to model exactly how we suspend critical thinking Jonathan was surely one of the best.

I have a vivid childhood memory of this Goldfish sketch on the UK version of Candid Camera which was co-hosted with Peter Dulay

Plagiarism Is Simply Cheating

2008-06-17T08:05:00.006+01:00

Plagiarism is simply cheating. It's the academic equivalent of lying or stealing. In this case the perpetrator lies about their capability and originality of expression or thinking, and they steal the insights of others and claim them as their own.

Students enter into a relationship when they join a university, and plagiarism is a betrayal of that relationship in exactly the same way that adulterer cheats on their spouse. Students also commit to developing original thinking and plagiarism is no different to schools kids stealing sweets and candy from the local store.

What could be worse than a qualified Doctor and TV celebrity setting such a poor example? Sub-consciously his behaviour runs the risk of making plagiarism seem like scrumping apples

Academic qualifications depend entirely on integrity. As soon as this is undermined the whole pack of cards collapses. Notions such as 'assessment FOR learning' is like saying to a Police officer that doing 34 in a 30 limit was evidence of being able to drive at 30 because it is less than 35 mph!

There is a serious threat to the credibility of UK European degrees due to the 'forgiving' stance encouraged towards overseas students. They should be applauded for studying away from home and in a foreign language AND they should be judged by a consistent standard. There a many examples of incoherent and conceptually muddled work being 'forgiven' as the 'sense' is read between lines by the marker. Native English speakers are NOT afforded this leniency. And as for 'explaining away' the tendency to copy vast tracts from books and other papers as an example of cultural differences where its 'really showing deference to more learned people' Just how gullible are we?!

The nature of learning, study, critical thinking and research differs as soon as you move from undergraduate study to masters and beyond. You are expected not only to know and understand what others have said in your field, you need to discuss and manipulate abstract concepts that use subtle and precise language. This is a challenge for a native English speaker, so it is hardly surprising that the pressure to perform and succeed tempts none -native English speakers to 'over rely' on the words, ideas and expressions of others.

Being confronted with fact that 'conceptual capabilities' and 'critical thinking' matter more at post graduate level than 'evidence of hard work (extensive descriptions and appendices) comes as a real shock to some.

Diamonds hold their value because they are scarce and hard won. All things of value are. As soon as the standards for the quality of a qualification are undermined the qualification is meaningless to potential employers and the recipient will be living in the delusion that they have achieved a 'standard' that was never there.

Pluto Plato and Plutoids

2008-06-12T17:50:00.008+01:00

How spooky is this...As you probably know a few months back Pluto lost its status as a planet.

Today its has been announced that Pluto should belong to a new category of astronomical object called Plutoids

Scientists love the task of categorisation its a pastime of philosophers too. Mind you that is hardly a surprise since the word science means knowledge.

a key figure in the art of categorisation was Plato. So what could more apt than a philosophical question...

...has Pluto really changed in anyway at all? (cue Twilight Zone theme music)

Consumerism : A New Low

2008-06-09T05:37:00.009+01:00

Anybody who has done Marketing 101 will know that one of the basic tricks of advertising is to call something 'NEW'

By tapping into our basic curiosity and the false assumption that new is equivalent to better we are sub-consciously being told that our world is progressing and improving.

So you can imagine the irony of the claim by the British Retail Consortium that we have hit a NEW low in consumer confidence.

Does this mean that we now have a better 'LOW' than the one we had before? Does this mean we can expect newer lows in the future as we progress to the best low ever?

New is slapped on products to get us try things. The double irony therefore is that the BRC are actually instructing us to try having even less consumer confidence than we had before with the consequent effect that the situation the BRC is whining about can only get worse!! DOH!

Now, the BRC would suggest that there is doom and gloom on the high street wouldn't they. That's the job of Trade Associations They portray a particularly skewed view of reality that endorses their only ever so slightly 'hidden agenda' AND...

What if the drop in high street sales indicates that consumers are wising up to the tricks and techniques deployed to get us to buy things we WANT rather than NEED? What if a mind -shift is taking place (originally triggered by tighter credit) that breaks our habit of shopping addiction? Consumer Cold Turkey is the real fear of retailers, a fear that they project onto us as fear that the supply cheap goods will end if we stop buying.

Instead of a New Low what if we are actually witnessing a New High in the awareness and general level of consciousness of the consumer that means we are less gullible about the consequences to the planet and ultimately our survival as a species of unfettered wasteful consumption?

University Degrees : The Clue Is In The Title

2008-06-06T05:34:00.007+01:00

What do you think the aim and purpose of a Higher Education is? For me the clue is in the title of the awards that can be achieved.

A degree implies evidence of a 'degree' of thinking, knowledge, and application that has been formally assessed by legally & professionally recognised assessors and institutions.

A key issue to consider however is whether degrees should be designed towards what the university believes is important or whether they should they be designed towards what society and more specifically the techno-commercial system needs.

The academic process has historically been designed from what marketers would recognise as a 'production' orientation. That is to say the university has determined what it believes to be 'a good product'. This line of thinking is evident in the concerns expressed by academics over diploma courses intended to replace current UK high school qualifications A primary concern is that they will not 'prepare students for university'

Now, depending on your philosophy you might get a bit hot under the collar about that claim. For those who have been through the system you will know what is meant by this because in order to gain a degree you have to become adept at the 'university' way of thinking and writing. Much of the educational philosophy that underpins this approach remains tacit and for a majority of students they don't really 'know' much about the process they have been through in that regard, they only really know that they have studied 'subjects' in depth.

Ironically much of this approach is actually 'student', dare I say 'consumer' centric in the sense that degrees are designed with the development of the individual in mind. This doesn't necessarily mean giving the consumer what they think they want though! To polarise the argument between 'product' orientation' or 'market' orientation (meeting the needs of the techno-commercial system) is really a gross over simplification.

The upside to the benign 'production orientation' of universities is that they are able to guide their consumer from their unconscious incompetence through to unconscious competence (and hopefully critically reflective practice which is essential to avoiding gullibility. It is a fact that students do NOT necessarily know what is good for them. In this way universities avoid the mistake of 'consumer worship' which is 'market orientation' done badly.

The downside to 'production orientation' is that universities think they know best on everything and this limits their thinking to designing and producing products (degrees) that exclusively suit their framing of the 'need'. That's why the Buckinghamshire academics anticipate a problem, they are worried that students aren't being groomed for their interpretation of what they believe is needed. They have a myopic version of the 'need' because the time at university is only one staging post in the journey of life and the majority of people will go on to be employed in non academic professions. The biggest criticism of 'degree design' must be the way in which they are tacitly developed to craft people with an 'academic mind'. i.e. they are implicitly (sub-consciously?) 'training' people to be professors, and guess what not all of us want to be 'academics'!!

For universities to operate from a more rounded version of 'market orientation' they need to build on the strong points of the 'consumer orientation' they have historically been excellent at. This means thinking about 'value and lifestyle' segments in the market for their services. Other stakeholders have different needs and yes the techno-commercial system is one of those, in the same way that a 'non-academic' student is too. That's why ideas such as Foundation degrees are a good idea.

This is certainly not a call for 'dumbing down' as higher education should always ultimately be about individual development in terms of thinking and knowledge. That goal doesn't necessarily mean that you have to become an 'academic' A degree nevertheless should involve a degree of personal challenge higher than the individuals current level of experience and beyond merely what 'I think I need or is needed'. It should certainly demand rigorous and justified thinking and applicationand involve the constant testing of prior assumptions whether in the natural or social sciences.

Barak Obama : The Promise of Change

2008-06-05T06:14:00.005+01:00

When somebody makes a promise they are asking us to believe in the manifestation of some future event. and the only way have of knowing if our faith has been misplaced or not is our experience of delivery on that promise.

As a result it is only in the moment of delivery that we ever find out if we have been gullible. In social relationships we are never more vulnerable to gullibility than on the promise of a change. Think about it...the errant lover 'I promise it'll never happen again', the workshy employee 'I promise I'll be here on time in future', the bad payer 'i promise the cheques is in the post' our lives are cut through with promises from 'if you are are good then I promise to take you to McDonald's through to 'if you are good I promise you a place in heaven'

In marketing management there is a model called the Promise Concept It is associated with the notion of Services Marketing and is made up of three elements that all need to come together for a promise to be upheld. These are:

Making the promise
Delivering the promise
Enabling the promise

Much of the criticism of tactical marketing stems from the fact that marketers are usually pretty good at making promises, you know, the stuff of dreams, and Obama has certainly done that! And, of course it is no mistake that his meta-message is a parody of Martin Luther Kings' famous speech. What really matters now is delivering and enabling and that's where real-politik comes in.

There are always real world constraints that conspire to break the promises we make. Capabilities, resources, time, ambitions of others etc.

Just how gullible American voters have been will only ever be known at the point of delivery, and then we'll see if Obama's promise is concept or reality

Masters Degrees : Advantages Disadvantages and Expectations

2008-06-02T17:14:00.006+01:00

If you are considering embarking on a Masters Degree in any of the Social Sciences you might be wondering what is involved and what you will be committing too. Several factors may have combined to encourage you to take the plunge and much of the marketing blurb from universities home in on those needs and reflect them back to you such as:

i) a competitive edge in an employment world where more and more people have first degrees
ii) acquisition of specialised 'know what' & 'know how' to be gained from course content
iii) the achievement of a personal goal through stretching academic endeavour

What is particularly interesting about the ways in which Masters degrees are positioned is the disconnect between the 'instrumental', 'vocational' and 'course content and structure' benefits that are presented to prospective students to get them to enrol and the 'transformational effect' and 'academic demands' that are the reality of the experience.

The crucial difference to grasp is that Masters education is not simply about absorbing 'given' knowledge. It is a process through which the student is expected to become a more independent, critically reflective individual. You mustn't expect tutors to 'tell' you things that you need to simply memorise and understand. In order to 'master' your subject YOU need to engage with it and STUDY it and this means READING. Of course you will be signposted to key texts, key ideas and key thinkers but not independently investing a significant amount of time in subject research and you'll find yourself struggling.

It should also be borne in mind that a Masters degree is an ACADEMIC endeavour, and whilst many subjects will have practical applications and relevance, the achievement of the qualification relies on demonstrating fluency and ability in the academic arts of:

i) extensive research and evidence gathering
ii) synthesising and making sense of diverse,and complex ideas
iii) formal structuring and referencing of cogent academic writing
iv) clarity of informed and persuasive argument
v) conceptual thinking and manipulation

Do not expect tutors to tell you how to structure assignments and what to include. Do not expect them to tell you what is a 'correct' answer and approach to an assignment. Do expect to be left to your own devices after contact time.

Do a Masters degree for you not necessarily for a job.Many people who job interview you will not have had a Masters experience and will not be able truly understand how your thinking skills are different. You are being trained to be a heretic and a questioner and sadly in many organisations today that is still a dangerous occupation.

Police Authorised To Use Common Sense

2008-05-31T08:48:00.009+01:00

Someone once said The weird thing about common sense is...it isn't. The good news is that at last one organisation in the UK The Surrey Police Force is trying to change all of that. In a bid to unlock themselves from the handcuffs of obsessive managerialist thinking Surrey and three other UK police forces seem to allowing integral thinking into their management.

So often organisational decision makers gullibly assume that there is a magic bullet or a singularly effective way of managing and controlling complex, dynamic entities and events. This managerial approach, typified in many cases by the underpinning philosophy, language, and concepts of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) has dominated much of the political pressure placed on public service organisations.

In this philosophy there is no place for professional judgement, what you measure is what you get, what you measure is what get's done, and what you reward get's done first. The same is true of education. You can't use professional judgement because that is 'subjective' and the positivistic philosophy that drives managerialism says that only dispassionate 'objective' facts can be used to base decision making.

Utter rubbish! Human beings are social animals that are equipped and to a large extent depend on navigating complex interpersonal situations by 'reading' feelings context and meanings. Rapport and relationships depend entirely on these skills. I am utterly confident that the Surrey Police approach will be hugely successful and that it is a tremendous example of thought leadership.

Earth Attacked by The Vuittons

2008-05-28T07:52:00.004+01:00

Its official Earth has been attacked by a race of aliens from another world!

Contrary to the expectations of most scientists The Vuittons as they are known are not a race of superior intelligence capable of transforming human kind for the better.

Appearing on the re-formatted TV quiz show The Weakest Blingk the female leaders of this fascinating species showed how their philosophy of 'acquire material benefit without effort' has taken their kind from the depths of anonymity and frugality to wealth and prominenence.

In order to study the species further BBC scientists carefully designed an experiment to uncover exactly how smart The Vuittons really are. They concluded that an invasion posed little threat due to a suprising lack of detailed local Earth knowledge.

Chief Scientist Anne Robinson has recommended that people, and especially those aged between 13 and 22 and a half are innoculated against celebophilia. Robinson commented:

"Whilst posing no immediate danger to life as whole there is a small risk of damage to the fabric of society. This occurs when a delusional fixation on unattainable wealth and status occurs." going on to say:

"The Vuittons have evolved in very special circumstances in which luck and timing have played a significant part. Assuming that their world view has general relevance here on Earth is misleading and can in the most serious of cases lead to an addictive sense of persistent under achievement, failure that results in crime to feed the habit"

Blogging and the Real You

2008-05-27T09:17:00.006+01:00

In the world of blogging the Persona is 'Quing' (great portmanteau RR btw) and much is written about 'finding your voice', finding the style and tone or writing that is unmistakeably YOU.

Think about any of your favourite Bloggers...Would you be able to tell if someone took over their Blog for a month? Is there something in their turn of phrase, the idiom they use that tells you the real from the false?

As social animals we seem to be designed to be able to sense lack of authenticity and when gullibility happens our ability to do this fails. I would recommend anyone interested in this topic to read Pine & Gilmore's book called spookily Authenticity. They have come up with a neat 2*2 matrix that helps you position things in terms of how real and false things are. They classify things as:

is or is not what it says it is and...

is or is not true to itself

In this way people, organisations products services etc can be positioned in one of four places. Something that is Real Real (truly authentic) is what is says it is and is true to itself. Something that is False False is the direct opposite. This Blogger could be classed as Fake Real because I blog as RR not my real name and so I am not what I say am I but I am true to myself. Pine and Gilmour use Disney as an example here. Real Fake is the world of the deceiver, the world of platitudes and company mission statements you know the sort of stuff like 'we are a people company', 'I'm here to help you, 'work hard and you'll be rewarded' etc this is the place where we are most gullibly vulnerable. Most of us can spot Fake Fake a mile off although the really uncritical can get seriously duped here.

Face to Face or Facade to Facade we rely on lots of sensory input to help us make our decisions about authenticity, often this is rolled up into the subject of body language although we do pick up on tonality and rhythm of the spoken voice too.

What happens with writing though?

Dr Tim Grant of Aston University UK is an expert in this area and has developed ways of telling who the author of a text is. This has proved invaluable in solving murders and terrorist offences.

In the slightly less life threatening environment of academia (although that is less certain claim these days!) there is a continual 'assignment arms race' being run to detect that wonderfully studious thing known asPlagiarism That's cheating to you and I. You probably know there are sites where you can buy pre-prepared assignments and in order to check submissions in this wonderfully open and digital world we live in the web service Turnitin has been created for well intentioned students and suspicious tutors to check work for originality.

Invariably those most susceptible to being tempted to cheat are non-english speaking students. However they fall fair and square into the Real Fake zone. Many fail to realise that after a 12 week semester a tutor has a pretty good feel for their spoken expression, their vocabulary and tonality. It should come as no surprise therefore that when you get a piece of work that says something like:

"Given the assertion that Black et al make in their conceptual review of a priori assumptions about the marketing philosophy" things don't stack up and they don't stack up because of the experience of the reader. A particular skill of tutors borne out of reading hundreds of assignments and scores of books is a sense of authors voice.. We all have that skill to some degree of other.

So which is the real me?

Blogging is a really wicked thing to do 'cos its on the edge.

Blogging implies a deep seated concern with fundamental philosophical forces

Blogging facilitates the unfettered expression of individual creativity

Blogging lets you blast off on the stuff that rocks your boat

Blogging is my window on the world and the fog horn of my feelings

Blogging is an awesome way to monetize your content and kick the day job

Blogging is a complex social phenomenon whose explanation remains confused and opaque

Blogging is the digital version of 'Can You Hear Me Mother'

Work Has No Meaning

2008-05-25T10:16:00.008+01:00

So it looks like we've well and truly duped by the system. A techno-commercial system that says your role and job title define who you are, a system that says your greatest achievements come from the ways in which you earn your living.

Not so if this BBC article The best way to find meaning at work? Don't look for it is anything to go by.

If you'd like to ponder on this topic further try this survey devised by Dr Ruth Garrett of Sheffield Hallam University in the UK.

My Life's Meaning and Purpose

I suppose the message is 'take charge' you have responsibility for giving your life its purpose and meaning. Don't abdicate this task to other people and institutions, even though they would like you to think you depended on them.

To paraphrase Clarice Starling's boss in Hannibal "the problem is Clarice you fell in love with the FBI - but the FBI didn't fall in love with you"

Religion Spirituality and Atheism

2008-05-23T08:16:00.006+01:00

Deputy Chief Constable Tony Melville's explanation of the state of mind of Exeter UK bomber Nick Reilly suggests something about the possible state of mind and purpose underpinning alot of formal religion when he says:

"We believe that despite his weak and vulnerable state he was preyed upon, radicalised and taken advantage of"

Any instance where lack of critical thinking is impaired or supressed is surely evidence of gullibility and manipulation.

Which European City Do You Belong In?

2008-05-17T07:55:00.003+01:00

Thanks to Daisy Puddock I found this fun link and should be living in Dublin!

Spooky! no questions about Guiness and it knew!!!! How did it do that?

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.

You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Is the $100 Laptop A Fairy Story?

2008-05-16T07:02:00.012+01:00

Once upon a time there was a Technologist called Smart Nick. He lived in the Land of Bright Ideas where everybody was happy. Everyone in in the Land of Bright Ideas thought Smart Nick was the cleverest of clever people who had ever been clever and when he designed a Magic Box of Tricks that would make all the poor people in the rest of the world very very happy they all clapped and cheered and threw a big party with lots of jelly and cakes.

Smart Nick was so pleased with his idea. He knew it was just what the people wanted because he'd asked everyone in the Land of Bright Ideas a very special question. It was known as The Philosophers Question and the question was this..."if he could make their wish come true what would it be?" After listening really really carefully to what everyone said he worked very very hard everyday and every night for a whole week so that his Magic Box of Tricks was just what the people in the Land of Bright Ideas wanted.

The day came when he had to go on a long and dangerous adventure. He would have to go over the hill and far away beyond the Gates of Bill that led from The Land of Bright Ideas to meet the people of a mysterious land called Afreeka. The people of Afreeka were very nice but they didn't have much money and this made Smart Nick very sad. So off he went with a big smile, his Magic Box of Tricks and knapsack with an Apple to eat on the way to make all of the people in Afreeka happy.

When he got there he was invited to tea with the King of Afreeka. He lived in a huge palace with lots of nice things but he was very very angry. "Why doesn't your Magic Box of Tricks make my people happy?" he thundered. "I was told that your were the cleverest of clever people and you are not!" Smart Nick explained that he had asked everyone in the Land of Bright Ideas what they wanted using the Philosophers Question and he couldn't understand why the people of Afreeka were still unhappy.

This made the King of Afreeka even more angry. He stood up and banged the table so hard that all the plates and cups jumped nearly a whole metre in the air. "Fetch me my Wizard" he boomed. With a loud bang the Wizard appeared through a big cloud of sparkling purple smoke. Smart Nick's knees began to knock, he'd heard of the Marketing Wizards of Afreeka and their potent magic. "You see..." said the King "I have been working on my own Philosophers Question...Wizard...what can you see?"

The Wizard pulled out a crystal ball from the huge pockets of his coat and stared at it muttering mystical incantations. Smart Nick could only just hear them..."what do you want?", "what's important for you?", "what do you value?"... "what is the benefit of", how do you choose?...", "what problems would you like to solve?"...in the end the Wizard shrieked and shouted out 'You've Put Lipstick on a Pig' The people of Afreeka will only be happy if the Magic Box of Tricks can do the things they want to make them happy"

The King stood up at once. "Smart Nick go away and come back with something our people want." he commanded. So Nick went away trudging back to the Land of Bright Ideas and he was very very sad. When he got home he sat by the fire and had lemonade and crumpets and then went back to work. He worked all alone for a hundred days, when suddenly he had a bright idea.

If his box of tricks could let the people of Afreeka have a Window on the World surely the King of Afreeka wouldn't be angry and his subjects would be more skilled & knowledgeable than the other tribes of the world, this would make them popular, which in turn would make them rich, which in turn would make them attractive, which in turn would let them get married and have children, which in turn would them very very very happy!

Soon he went back and showed the King of Afreeka his Magic Box of Tricks with its Window on the World and the King jumped for joy and danced around his palace doing a jig with his soldiers until his crown fell off. "You really are Smart Nick!" he said "You listened to my Marketing Wizard and look what you've done, you can marry my daughter the Princess." This made Smart Nick very very happy too and so Smart Nick, The Princess, The King and the people of Afreeka lived happily ever after.