A500.4.3.RB– Ballet Slippers or Adorable
I believe that the topic regarding the “art of choice” is
very thought provoking. In the TED video
given by Dr. Iyengard (2010) I first was struck by the fact that Dr. Iyengar
was blind. The topic on choices clearly
has a component that causes one to first think that if there is a choice to be
made, in some cases it will require one to see the options for which a choice
must be made.
Until listening to this TED talk, I took for granted that
choice was something that as human we all desire. Because I enjoy having options I always assumed
that all people felt that same way.
As Dr. Iyengar (2010) suggests that there are 3 general
assumptions that have been made regarding choice.
1. If a decision affects you, then you ought to be the one
making the decision
2. The more choices you have, the better your choice will be
3. You ought to never say no to choice.
In order for Dr. Iyengar’s (2010) assumptions that have
validity it must be put in the proper context.
If you are making a choice for yourself, then I would agree with
assumptions 1 and 2. Assumption three is
a bit of an over exaggeration because the word never implies that I must always
have a choice.
However, It is my opinion that in a team and/or group
environment the assumptions stated above may be so what limiting. They may be limiting because in a team/group
environment having too many choices can cause confusion or even chaos in the
group. I may cause major delays in achieving
results because there are too many choices.
In a group/team environment the choices have to may collectively thereby
reaching a consensus rather than an individual choice.
Effective leadership requires that the leader consider the
choices that are presented. A leader may
be required to narrow the choice before that are presented to the
team/group/organization thereby limiting to the available choices. This technique of limiting choice may be
required due to many external influences and constraints in the
organization.
It is my opinion that in an organization collective choice
can yield better results. In our
organization we often use the word consensus when considering choice. The group may have considered many options
(choices) however the final group choice may not have included all individual
choices but the group reached consensus on the choice.
As a leader I realize that there are choices that I can make
the will impact the organizations goals and objectives. I can influence the choices and my perception
regarding those choices must be balanced with my internal beliefs on choice and
the beliefs of my team.
The comparison that Dr Iyengar (2010) made regarding the two
different colors of nails polish was very powerful. The results of the comparison of the two
similar color nail polish in my opinion proves that choice is more about
perception that the actual choice itself.
Dr. Iyengar also discovered that the perception of choice
can affect how a person reacts to their ability to choose. Dr. Iyengar discussed the controlled study in
which the participants were given the same choices but the premise regarding
how the choice was derived was different.
Because of the perception by the participant regarding their ability to
choose the result of the controlled groups were different. The difference speaks to the cultural
differences on the topic of choice. In
the western culture, the concept of choice is thought of as important. This concept of choice don’t always hold true
in other countries (Iyenger 2010)
There are several definitions of choice that speak to choice
being powerful, providing options, difficult, or simple. Choice is define by Merrian Webster as 1) the act of choosing, 2) the power of
choosing. The second definition strikes
me as something that is important in choice.
The definition suggests that there is a certain amount of energy around
the ability to have choices. Choice is
defined by in the Journal Of Neuroscience “as a thinking process in which we
judge the merits of multiple options and then choose one of them on which to
act. Some choices are simple,
straightforward. Others are much more
complex.”(Carroll 2008 p.1) “However, Dr. Iyenger (2010) suggests that choice
can also bring with it a certain amount of confusion or even frustration.
References
Iyengar, S. (2010) The art of choosing. TED Global
Retrived from:
http//www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_choosing.html
Ford, J. D., & Wortmann, J. (2013). Chapter 12. Hijacked
by your brain (p. 173). Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks ;.
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