Prosocial I-O: Quo Vadis
Climate Change and Organizational Psychology: What on Earth Can We Do?
Stuart Carr
Massey University
Melvin Sorcher, PhD, holds a Distinguished Professional Contributions (Professional Practice) Award from SIOP for the development of behavior modeling methodology for application in industry. Mel was principal of his own consulting firm specializing in CEO succession planning and executive evaluation, related organizational and individual issues, and leadership. Clients have been in all business sectors and have included more than 60 Fortune 100 companies. Most of this work has been with or at the CEO and senior executive levels in the U.S. and internationally. Previously, he was head of the GE corporate behavioral research group and the worldwide director of management development for a pharmaceutical company. He is an elected Fellow of SIOP and has served on professional committees and boards, including the Center for Creative Leadership. Mel has authored or co-authored four books and about 40 articles and chapters, including the Harvard Business Review article, February 2002, “Are You Picking the Right Leaders?” Books include Beat-the-Odds Interviews (2008) for new college graduates seeking first post-college jobs, Predicting Executive Success (1985), and Changing Supervisor Behavior (1974).
(1) Can you tell us a little about your project and related work in Westport, CT?
About a year ago, I was reading a magazine article about the pollution caused by nonbiodegradable shopping bags used to pack groceries at checkout. The environmental impact was awful. I thought that if we couldn’t solve this simple environmental problem, we will never be able to deal effectively with any of the more complex environmental challenges. There was initial opposition to the idea from key people in the town administration that I approached. The chemical industry lobby also actively opposed it. A year later however, we were effective in bringing an ordinance proposal through town committees. The end result was a 25-5 YES vote to ban plastic bags from the whole community of Westport, CT.
(2) Does the psychology of work and organizations play a role in these activities?
Yes. In this case, for example, a number of principles from evidence-based science were effectively used. Strategically, it’s just a matter of connecting the dots. The dots in the Westport case were findings from nine specific lines of theory and research: goal setting, expectations, persuasion, dissonance theory, communication (order of points, fear-arousing appeals), motivation (behavioral economics), decision making, creativity, and small group dynamics.
Goal setting. The main goal was to persuade the majority of the legislative body (N = 36) in a small town to pass an ordinance banning the use of nonbiodegradable plastic checkout shopping bags in the town. In my initial meetings with some of the legislative body to generate support, the group size was limited to 4–6 because it’s easier to get focus and commitment from a group of that size.
Expectancy. More than half the members of the town body were opposed to the idea for several reasons, for example, inconvenience, don’t like to tell people what to do, other priorities. I had to change their expectations. For example, on the night of the vote, I said, “After you vote tonight, you’re going to go home, go to sleep, and wake up in the morning. If you vote NO to an ordinance, you’ve voted YES to continued pollution, toxic waste, and environmental decay. Will you feel good about that? Is this a legacy you’ll feel good about? Will your children and grandchildren be proud of your vote? Or will they expect something else of you? And do you expect more from yourself?”
Communication. The way we communicated our position was based on the experiments about persuasion and opinion change that examined order of points in an argument, fear-arousing appeals, the power of overheard communication, immunization, and so on. These studies were exceptionally helpful in our early meetings as well as in the final pre-vote PowerPoint® presentation delivered to the legislative body by a small committee from this group.
Transformational leadership/succession planning. People are often motivated more by the fear of loss than by an opportunity to make a gain. I connected these two dots by telling four of the legislative body members (supportive ones) with whom I had worked that I would no longer take a leadership role in the ordinance process and that they would have to pick it up if this was to continue. As an outsider in the political system, I also knew that I could not be as effective as insiders in moving an idea through the system. As a result, these four people became very active. They did a great job.
Transfer of training. People who want to get something done are more likely to work effectively on it if they have the responsibility for doing it rather than just being told what to do. To encourage changed behavior after the adoption of an ordinance, a plan to introduce reusable shopping bags was outlined.
(3) How prominent is industrial and organizational psychology in the environmental/climate change field?
To the best of my knowledge, our profession is not at all prominent or even visible. What we did, in essence, in Westport was to practice some organizational psychology, more artfully than scientifically, as a blunt instrument.
(4) Could it be more so?
Yes. For example, I did have a chance to repeat something like this in California recently, although on a smaller scale. In this case, my only role was to coach the persons interested in blocking loggers from clear cutting a large area in a national park area. The park service wanted the clear cutting to prevent possible fires in the adjacent residential community. Many people in the community thought that the certain huge environmental impact of clear cutting would be far worse than the risk of fire. This application involved recommendations on how to communicate their position persuasively to local citizens, the park service, and a congresswoman. Although the logging had been set to begin shortly, the community group opposing it was successful in not only preventing it but in getting the park service to consider alternatives that would be more beneficial to the environment.
(5) From your own perspective, and with your experience, how could the profession help with the issue of managing climate change, do you think?
Typically, organizations of various kinds have great influence on environmental actions. Organizational psychologists should understand how people in organizations operate and how they think. They have a good chance to make the difference between success and failure on environmental and social goals, if they are willing and able to volunteer their time and take the initiative to find out where they can make a difference. In a real sense, it’s psychological warfare because the objective is to change opinion and behavior on the part of opponents or people with no opinions. Whatever the case however, put together a set of sequential steps for presenting a convincing message to a group of people and for getting them to agree with it and act on it. Remember, agreeing and acting are not the same thing.
Thank you for articulating “how,” in practical down-to-earth terms, we can make a noticeable difference on a global, sometimes overwhelming issue.