The debate about earnings, bonuses and fairness rumbles on and isn’t going to end soon. With the financial squeeze most of us are feeling, it is inevitable we look at the City in particular and wonder why they are still paying themselves so much, after all we now know about their endemic failures. Yet thereContinue reading “Motivating performance: Dan Pink and some thoughts on “bonus culture””
Tag Archives: behavioural economics
How (Not) To Party: the bizarre ending to last night’s Andrew Neil show
If you want to laugh at people who have held some of the highest offices of state, dancing to Underworld’s Born Slippy, read and view on … Picture the scene: you’ve just come home from moderating a discussion group across in Peterborough, you’re a bit tired and you flop down to watch the end ofContinue reading “How (Not) To Party: the bizarre ending to last night’s Andrew Neil show”
Everybody will be doing behavioural economics in qual
Do you see what I did there? The title’s speculative, but no more so than the communication to the American public by Barack Obama’s team two weeks before the 2008 Presidential Election, to get the vote out: “A Record Turnout Is Expected.” The Obama campaign realised that, at that stage in the campaign, detailed messagesContinue reading “Everybody will be doing behavioural economics in qual”
From Behavioural Insights To Chris Moyles
Required listening for anyone in research, I think: All In The Mind Special: The Behavioural Insights Team. Interesting contributions to Claudia Hammond‘s Radio 4 documentary from the likes of Prof. Richard Thaler, Dr. David Halpern and Warwick University psychologist Neil Stewart as well as the more sceptical Nick Pearce of the IPPR. It’s all aboutContinue reading “From Behavioural Insights To Chris Moyles”
Hallowe’en night and a haunted viewing room
Who would be a qualitative researcher, eh? This post is not at all influenced by my having something of a difference of opinion last night with some clients over a group discussion …but ever the Polyanna, I’m turning this into something positive, by lecturing everyone on how to avoid the pitfalls of watching discussion groups.Continue reading “Hallowe’en night and a haunted viewing room”
Kahneman and the real meaning of Man Utd’s 6-1 defeat
As a Man Utd fan since the days of George Best (I am just about that old – I precociously started supporting them aged 3 in 1973), I was of course pretty disappointed by the events at Old Trafford on Sunday: BBC match report on Man Utd 1-6 Man City. But more interesting to meContinue reading “Kahneman and the real meaning of Man Utd’s 6-1 defeat”
The tyranny of the “left brain” – RSA Animate
Here is an RSA Animate of a talk by Iain McGilchrist on “the divided brain” – highly recommended. While the division into left and right brain is a myth, he says, there are indeed two modes of thinking: one open, alive, messy, intuitive; and the other our ordered and rational working of a closed system.Continue reading “The tyranny of the “left brain” – RSA Animate”
Creating memories: Jonah Lehrer and faux Monty Python
Jonah Lehrer, whose The Decisive Moment – How The Brain Makes Up Its Mind I’m reading at the moment, has written a really interesting piece in Wired magazine about how we don’t just make things up, we can actually change our memories: Jonah Lehrer – How Social Conformity Affects Memory. There is, in particular, unacknowledgedContinue reading “Creating memories: Jonah Lehrer and faux Monty Python”
Organ Freeman: Thaler on Nudge
Professor Richard Thaler, co-author of Nudge, is one of the most sought-after people in the world at the moment. His behavioural economics (BE) snowball is now well down the hill, has taken out some skiiers and is about to roll along the valley, chasing people around like that giant bubble thing from The Prisoner. HisContinue reading “Organ Freeman: Thaler on Nudge”
Stampede of the Social Animals – more BE
David Brooks is the latest author to bring the reality of what goes on in the human mind into the public realm and the popular consciousness, with The Social Animal. Here he is talking about it (thanks RSA!) David Brooks video. Good timing as I’m reading Richard Layard‘s Happiness at the moment (in short, hisContinue reading “Stampede of the Social Animals – more BE”
Strangers on the Shore 