14 DAY TRIAL // A recent study developed in hospitals shows that the behavior of male bosses (as in, the way they dress or issue orders) is linked to our evolution as a species.
Scientists from UNSW have learned that the behavior of ancient leaders and groups, such as the protection of own belongings and territory, domination and the ostracizing of those who don't adhere to the rules, still very much applies today, and is considered normal and accepted as such as well. Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite, from the Institute for Health Innovation in the Faculty of Medicine, the author of the study, explains: “This tribal culture is similar to what we would have seen in hunter gather bands on the savannah in southern Africa.”
“While this research focuses specifically on health care settings, the results can be extrapolated to other workplaces,” Professor Braithwaite further explains. “Groups were territorial in the past because it helped them survive. If you weren’t in a tight band, you didn’t get to pass on your genes. Such tribalism is not necessary in the same way now, yet we still have those characteristics because they have evolved over two million years. It’s a surprise just how hard-wired this behavior is. It’s predictable that a group will ostracize a whistle blower, for instance. It’s not good, but it’s understandable in the tribal framework. It explains all sorts of undesirable behaviors, including bullying.”
The research consists of results deriving from several hundreds of observations and interviews with health-related staff during a 15-year-long period. His innovative psychological perspective combined anthropology and archeology of the earliest humanoids to the known extent, and made comparisons with modern people and behaviors, in order to devise some reliable strategies that would aid and improve the effectiveness of teamwork in health professionals.
“We need to stop being simplistic and realize that changing behaviors and encouraging teamwork is much harder than we think,” stated Braithwaite. “Getting different groups together and talking through some of the differences, and appreciating some of the unwritten rules which drive people, are crucial steps in improving trust.” The Professor, however, also addressed future matters - “We also need to re-think education. We train doctors in a completely different arena from nurses and allied health staff, then we bring them together in the workplace after they graduate and expect everyone to be team players. We need to bring them together much earlier in the educational process.”