Organizational

Behavior

HEC Paris

Schulte & Yong, 2011

Class 3

Kevyn Yong
yong@hec.fr
Spring 2014

Today
l We

climb Mount Everest.

Goal: To consolidate your understanding on

how decision-making processes typically
unfold.

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Leading Teams: Everest Simulation

l

One: Pre-decision distortion of information

l Dont poll!
l Clarify your understanding of the decision.
Two: Commonly held information carries too much
weight in a decision.
l Idea dump!
l Seek out and use uniquely held information.
Three: Group decision-making is often multi-party, multiissue.
l Look for a second agreement!
l Group and consider issues simultaneously.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Leading Teams: Everest Simulation

l

90 minutes to complete this Everest Decision

Challenge.
But, this simulation was set-up such that one
should expect that many teams will not achieve
their goals.
So

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Team Roles
l
l
l
l
l
l

Leader
Physician
Photographer
Marathoner
Environmentalist
**Observer**

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Recommended Timetable
l

Round 0: 10 - 12 minutes

Round 1: 10 - 12 minutes

Round 2: 15 - 20 minutes

Round 3: 18 - 20 minutes

Round 4: 18 - 20 minutes

Round 5: 10 - 12 minutes

Round 2: The Medical Challenge

The environmentalist develops wheezing.
Informa7on Distribu7on:

Leader: HAPE requires more than wheezing.

Doctor: Knows that one member has Asthma.
Environmentalist: Only wheezing.
Marathoner: HAPE and Asthma is dierent.
Photographer: Knows that wheezing is cri7cal
symptom of Asthma.

Round 3: The Weather Challenge

Role

Temperature Informa0on

Wind Speed Informa0on

Shared
informa7on

Base camp expected to be 10F

below avg.

Base camp expected to be 20

% faster than avg.

Leader

Avg. temp in May at Base camp is

-7C

Doctor

Avg. temp at camp 4 is 33F colder

than Base camp.

Photographer

Temp in F = [(9/5) x temp in F] +

32

Climbers can survive condi7ons

that take more than 10 min to
produce frostbite but not those
in less than 5 min.
Avg. wind speed at camp 4 is
3 7mes at Base camp.

Marathoner

Knows how quickly frostbite

occurs with certain
temperature and wind speed
combina7ons.

Environmentalist

Conclusion

Health Informa0on

Avg. temp. at Base is 19.4F

Expected temp at Base is
9.4F (19.4F -10F)
Expected temp at Camp 4 is
33F colder than Base so
Camp 4 is -23.6F

Avg. Wind speed at Base

camp in May is 11.2 mph.

Has NWS wind chill chart that

contains accurate frostbite
info.

Expected wind speed at

Base is 13.44 mph.
Expected wind speed at
Camp 4 is 40.32 mph.

The combina0on of wind

speed (40.32mph) and
temp. (-23.6F) will result in
frostbite in less than 5
min.
Therefore, team should
not hike to next camp.

Round 4: The Oxygen Challenge

Role

Climb Dura0on

Oxygen Canisters and Usage

Personal Informa0on

Shared

Round trip from Camp 4

to summit takes 18hrs.

Team has 20 canisters available.

Rescued members dont need
(Changes with number of climbers) oxygen.

Leader

Canisters hold 720 liters of oxygen. Needs 1 liter/min.

Doctor

No oxygen above Camp 4 is fatal.

Doctor is of avg. weight.

Photographer

Par7al canisters cant be shared.

Needs 1 liter/min.

Marathoner

Needs 3.5 liters/min for 16 hrs

and 5 liters/min for 2 hrs.

Environmentalist
Conclusion

Climbers of avg. weight use 2.5

liters per minute.

Total 7me for

round trip is 1080
minutes.

Needs 3.5 liters/min.

Leader and photographer need 2 each.

[at 1 liter/min, each needs 1080 liters, which equals 1.5

canisters.]

Doctor needs 4.

[at 2.5 liters/min avg. weight needs 2700 liters, which

equals 3.75 canisters.]

Marathoner needs 6.

[at 3.5 liters/min for 16 hrs and 5 liters/min for 2 hrs, needs
3960 liters, which equals 5.5. canisters.]

Environmentalist needs 6.

[at 3.5 liters/min, needs 3780 liters, which equals 5.25

canisters.

Key take-away #1: Asymmetries and Process Loss

l

Team members have distinct, unique information.

Team decision-making resembles multi-party
negotiations.
Process loss is the reason why teams fail.
l E.g. groupthink and relationship conflict

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Key take-away # 2: Information Sharing Problems

l

Teams are assembled to pool expertise.

Diversity in teams assumed to be ideal.

But, uniquely held information is often not shared or

ignored.
Causes:
l People take for granted what they know.
l Lack of psychological safety.
l i.e. members feel they will be marginalized if
they speak up, ask a question, express a
dissenting view, or change the course of
discussion.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Key take-away #3: Goal Conflict Problems

l

Team members often possess a mix of shared

and private objectives that are in conflict
with those of other members.
People can be so focused on achieving their
own objectives that they overlook searching
for alternatives that is beneficial to all team
members.
Debates can become dysfunctional when
goals differ; task-conflict can deteriorate into
relationship-conflict.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Key take-away #4: Psychological Safety

l

Psychological safety ensures members feel

comfortable:
l Asking questions.
l Requesting clarification.
l Inquiring about others views.
l Express and discuss dissenting views.
l Admit mistakes.
l Ask for help more frequently.

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Key take-away #5: Psychological Safety

l

How can leaders enhance psychological safety?

l
l

l
l

l
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Acknowledge your own vulnerabilities and mistakes.

Recognize and reinforce courageous behavior.
Reduce the salience of status differences.
Balance the power of experts.
Encourage multiple channels of communications.
Set an appropriate tone for discussion, particularly
with regard to language.
Remove yourself from the discussion to encourage
frank and open discussions.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Key take-away #6: Role of the Leader

l

Create productive dialogue and ensure that a few

members do not:
l Dominate the discussions.
l Advance their own interests at the expense of
shared goals.
l Silence dissenting views.
E.g. Dialectical Inquiry Method:
l Create two subgroups to generate alternatives,
exchange proposals, and critique one anothers
ideas.
l Helps unique information to surface.
l Creates a climate of psychological safety.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Key take-away #7: Role of the Leader

l

Engage in active listening.

l Take detailed notes.
l Ask questions to identify key points.
l Playback views to ensure proper understanding.
Pay careful attention to procedural justice.
l Decisions are accepted when the decision process is believed
to be fair and equitable.
l

Fair process:
l Every member has voice.
l Genuine consideration for each view.
l Each member contributes to the final outcome.
l Carefully explain the rationale for the final decision.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

. the no asshole rule .

LEGO

Who is an asshole?
the Starbucks test
the dirty-dozen test

Dealing with assholes.

Odd twist.

. the Starbucks test .

LEGO

decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat iced vanilla,

double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light
ice, with one Sweet-n-low, and one NutraSweet

rule: the more complicated the Starbucks order, the
bigger the asshole.

. the dirty-dozen .
LEGO

personal insults + sarcas7c jokes to insult

invasion of personal space + uninvited personal contact

email ames+ in7mida7on
status slaps + public shaming
rude interrup7ons + dirty looks
two-faced alacks + trea7ng people as invisible

. dealing with assholes .

LEGO

Hope for the best, expect the worst.

Be indierent and emo7onally detached.

Look for small wins.

Limit your exposure.
Expose them.
De-escalate and re-educate.
Stand up to them.

. odd twist .
LEGO

The ONE asshole rule.

one example of misbehavior + kept on
display + rejected + punished = what not to
do