NICK WRIGHT
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Think

19/1/2017

28 Comments

 
‘Thud…BANG!’ At its worst, it’s every 2.7 minutes. They go off every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 9 months a year, where I live. Farmers use these gas guns – which are like small canons – to attempt to scare birds from their crops. They are very loud…and largely ineffective. In an attempt to improve their effectiveness, farmers are increasing the number they install in their fields and the frequency of the bangs. It’s as if more canons and more bangs will scare away more birds.

The problem is: it doesn’t work, it drives local residents crazy and it is actually counter-productive. Research shows that birds quickly ignore the bangs. They realise there is no actual threat. The more the bangs, the more the birds become immune to them. In fact, research also shows that, over time, the birds are actually attracted by the bangs, using them to locate sources of food. So, apart from the dubious ethics of using these guns close to residential areas, what is going wrong here?

The simple answer is that these farmers have inadvertently locked themselves into a pattern of faulty assumptions and self-defeating behaviour. Their desperation to protect their crops drives them away from rational thought to a more defensive and defended stance. If they could find a way to step back far enough to revisit the results they desire and the factors that support or undermine them, they could potentially discover new tactics that would make a more positive difference.

Organisations call this stepping back to examine and challenge implicit assumptions, to reflect on and address causal and influencing relationships, strategy mapping or creating theories of change. Professionals who apply the same principles to their work call it reflective practice. It’s about being willing to pause-reflect-act in the midst of the busy-ness of doing in order to think widely and deeply, conduct research, learn from experience and produce better results. How do you do it?
28 Comments
Allison Dolan
19/1/2017 01:15:07 pm

24 hours/day? I didn't know any plant eating birds fed at night. Love it that the birds are now using the gun blasts to home in on food!

Reply
Nick Wright
19/1/2017 01:17:58 pm

Hi Allison. Perhaps the farmers believe that local bats and owls have developed an appetite for vegetarian food. ;)

Reply
Maureen Miller BEd PCC
19/1/2017 07:41:04 pm

Definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. There is sometimes a sense of comfort derived from clinging to the way things are because we all know the results. Its safe and risk-free. I find it sometimes helpful to explore whats the gain in sticking with a behavior despite it not being helpful. I really like this analogy. Its very clear.

Reply
Nick Wright
19/1/2017 07:49:32 pm

Thanks Maureen. I think that's true. People stick to the status quo for all kinds of reasons including those you describe here. I think the farmers in this case are trapped in a belief that gas guns work - in spite of all evidence to the contrary. Perhaps it's an example of confirmation bias. It means that the solutions they adopt are fundamentally flawed because their underlying assumptions and observations are also flawed.

Reply
Dave Smith
24/1/2017 01:59:11 pm

Orthogonal to the article, but this reminds me of:
• "pesticide paradox" (keep spraying crops and the bugs eventually become resistant to it, reducing or eliminating its effectiveness)
• "Streisand effect" (in which attempts to quash something actually shone a spotlight on it and grew the audience)
• "cargo cult mentality" (I'll let you look this one up!)

For organisations to challenge assumptions, there must first be an understanding that predicted outcomes are not emerging - a desire to validate results rather than presume expectations. Until individuals make some movements towards confirmation, they'll remain wilfully ignorant because remaining in denial feels more comfortable.

Reply
Nick Wright
24/1/2017 02:00:10 pm

Thanks Dave. 'Orthogonal' is a new word for me! :)

Reply
Iole Matthews
24/1/2017 08:34:54 pm

Great explanation of such a common issue.

Reply
Nick Wright
24/1/2017 08:35:26 pm

Thanks Iole!

Reply
Sahid Umarji
24/1/2017 08:36:19 pm

Great blog Nick. Systems Thinking is needed to manage the problem holistically.

Love the 'pesticide paradox' Dave Smith mentions. An article by Daniel Aronson on thinking.net explains this in detail.

The farmers appear stuck in a single-loop learning. As Chris Argyris puts it they appear to be 'doing the right things as opposed to doing things right'. Step back, question and rethink the objectives.

Thanks again for sharing Nick. It's helped me to contextualise this 'often difficult to explain' theory.

Reply
Nick Wright
24/1/2017 08:39:02 pm

Thanks Sahid. I agree - that would be a great application of double loop learning. I couldn't find the article you mentioned but I would be interested to read it. Do you have a link for it?

Reply
Sahid Umarji
25/1/2017 01:38:25 pm

You're welcome Nick Wright. Here's the link: http://thinking.net/Systems_Thinking/OverviewSTarticle.pdf

Nick Wright
25/1/2017 01:38:53 pm

Thanks Sahid. Much appreciated!

Jennifer Blackburn
25/1/2017 09:20:22 am

Sounds like we need one farm for feeding all the birds and another for producing. Lol who is ready to support the farmers produce and give the birds a place to migrate for food. I can see it the fields already nice and white on one side.

May not be such a bad idea to see if community would be willing to try a bird feeder in back yards. It might reduce or help.

Reply
Nick Wright
25/1/2017 09:22:42 am

Hi Jennifer. Nice examples of lateral thinking! One of the things I've noticed is how resistant these farmers are to consider alternative methods (which are, in fact, available) because they are locked into assumptions and logic that, although erroneous, appear convincing to them.

Reply
Jennifer Blackburn
28/1/2017 03:08:19 pm

https://youtu.be/Tp0d69IHDjk

My first vision was on point in seeing a farm looking all white. I stopped going further while asking why there wasn't a top to cover it. Figured it's to simple for us not to already know and went with the bird seeds idea.
What I learned. Take time to pause go deeper and don't assume without fully knowing.

Nick Wright
28/1/2017 03:10:25 pm

Many thanks, Jennifer. That is a fascinating video!! I have sent the link to my local Environmental Health Department. It demonstrates how alternative and more effective methods are available...if only we are willing to be curious, to explore and to experiment.

Kathy Taberner
27/1/2017 10:17:22 am

I think the missing ingredient is curiosity. If they stopped, became present to their situation, focused on being open and non-judging as they listen to different suggestions and ask open, curious questions they would begin to test their assumptions and be open to looking at new options to explore so they can discover more effect ways of dealing with this issue. I believe curiosity is fundamental to any effective, successful change initiative.

Reply
Nick Wright
27/1/2017 10:22:43 am

Hi Kathy. I think you have hit the proverbial nail on the head. Curiosity is key. If we are convinced we already have the solution to an issue, we are less open to considering alternatives.

I am reminded of Thomas Aquinas' insight that, when we grapple with a question, we enter on a journey (with 'quest' being at the heart of 'question'). When we believe we have the answer, the journey stops. You may find these related short pieces interesting?

http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/learning-to-wonder
http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/discovery

Reply
Ben North
27/1/2017 04:35:25 pm

An interesting follow up to this would be engaging the farmers to see if there is any alternative and how receptive they are to change? Do they see local residents as stakeholders? Is there in fact a better solution which could improve performance?

Reply
Nick Wright
27/1/2017 04:39:45 pm

Hi Ben. There have been numerous attempts, including via the local authority environmental health department, but to no avail. My hypothesis is that the farmers are persistent in this self-defeating behaviour because of (a) blind spots - they are convinced they are taking effective measures and (b) hot spots - they are worried about losing revenue owing to bird-related crop damage. These factors combined can create profound resistance to change.

Reply
Doreen McClintock
28/1/2017 02:57:21 pm

I am a farmers daughter and this is true. I thought they were long gone.

Reply
Nick Wright
28/1/2017 02:57:53 pm

Hi Doreen. Not in this area. It is an escalating problem. :/

Reply
Ferdi Jose
28/1/2017 02:58:25 pm

Interesting article.

Reply
Nick Wright
28/1/2017 02:58:45 pm

Thanks Ferdi.

Reply
Avinash A Phillips
28/1/2017 03:11:22 pm

The human capacity for indulging in self-defeating behavior is amazing. Thank you for pointing this out and for the advice.

Reply
Nick Wright
28/1/2017 03:12:43 pm

Thanks Avinash. Yes, you reminded me of Gareth Morgan's wise words that, 'Human beings have a knack for getting trapped in webs of their own creation.'

Reply
Luisa Andreou-Jones
31/1/2017 10:01:37 am

I love this - thanks for sharing this perspective. I'm developing a training session around Reflective Practice and Feedback for colleagues, and I think this story could make a really useful stimulus for discussion.

Reply
Nick Wright
31/1/2017 10:03:44 am

Many thanks Louisa. I'd be interested to hear more about your training session! You may find this related short piece interesting: http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/reflective-practice

Reply



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    ​Nick Wright

    ​I'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? ​Get in touch!

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