{"id":1228,"date":"2010-09-20T07:18:48","date_gmt":"2010-09-20T07:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localenterprise.wordpress.com\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2010-09-20T07:18:48","modified_gmt":"2010-09-20T07:18:48","slug":"sticks-carrots-coercion-and-coaching-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2010\/09\/20\/sticks-carrots-coercion-and-coaching-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Sticks, carrots, coercion and coaching"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWhat we did establish is that the carrots offered were far less effective than the sticks employed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts &#8211; talking about the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.parliament.uk\/business\/committees\/committees-a-z\/commons-select\/public-accounts-committee\/news\/committee-of-public-accounts-support-to-incapacity-benefits-claimants-through-pathways-to-work-\/\">&#8216;limited effect&#8217; of Pathways to Work pilots<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sticks and carrots have a long and noble tradition in the \u00a0management of donkeys. \u00a0However even with donkeys there are times when the &#8216;bribe and \u00a0punish&#8217; approach to change management fails:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When the donkey is not hungry enough<\/li>\n<li>When the effort of reaching the carrot is too great (the burden is too heavy)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In these circumstances we may choose to resort to the stick. \u00a0But this too will not work if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the pain of the stick is thought to be less than the pain of moving forward<\/li>\n<li>the donkey learns to like the stick and the attention that it brings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But I think the real issue here is not about the limitations of sticks and carrots in the management of donkeys and people.<\/p>\n<p>It is about the complete and utter failure to understand the nature of human motivation. \u00a0Motivation is that which energises, directs and\u00a0sustains\u00a0a person\u2019s efforts. \u00a0Sustains\u00a0efforts. \u00a0Sticks and carrots applied to move a donkey from one (expensive) field to another (less\u00a0expensive\u00a0field) do NOTHING to sustain efforts. \u00a0In fact it is likely to achieve the opposite. \u00a0The donkey returns to its passive state until more carrots and sticks appear on the scene. \u00a0And the state wants more enterprising communities?<\/p>\n<p>But the major problem is not treating people like donkeys, and further dulling their enterprising souls. \u00a0It is that the state\u00a0believes\u00a0that this\u00a0is\u00a0the most effective, fair and just way of changing behaviour. \u00a0That this is such a common\u00a0default\u00a0setting when trying to manipulate the behaviours and choices of its citizens.<\/p>\n<p>And we wonder why &#8216;community engagement&#8217; is so difficult. \u00a0When you have beaten and bribed your donkeys into submission don&#8217;t expect them to engage with you, without the use of ever more sticks and carrots.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps instead of resorting to a coercive\u00a0approach\u00a0to change, we might try instead a coaching approach?<\/p>\n<p>Helping people to recognise their long term self interest and how it may be pursued. \u00a0Helping \u00a0them to develop the power they need to make progress in their lives. \u00a0Helping them to recognise that it is possible and that\u00a0they\u00a0don&#8217;t need to be pushed around by a\u00a0bureaucratic\u00a0system of sticks and carrots. \u00a0That THEY have choices and agency in\u00a0their\u00a0own lives. \u00a0Vegetable\u00a0wielding\u00a0bureaucrats do not have to be the architects of their future.<\/p>\n<p>And what if someone decides that their long-term\u00a0self\u00a0interest is served by staying exactly where they are?<\/p>\n<p>Well, we could just leave them alone and put our time, energy and investment into those that want to explore pastures new. \u00a0Why should the squeaky wheel get all the grease?<\/p>\n<p>Because perhaps people are more like sheep than donkeys. \u00a0When they see some of the flock moving forward others are sure to follow.<\/p>\n<p>Aren&#8217;t they?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Posts\"><ul class=\"entry-meta\"><li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Olympic Gold &#8211; It all starts with a dream&#8230;.\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/08\/10\/olympic-gold-it-all-starts-with-a-dream\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Olympic Gold &#8211; It all starts with a dream&#8230;.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"An imaginary open letter: To those who would &#8216;engage&#8217; us&#8230;\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/08\/09\/an-imaginary-open-letter-to-those-who-would-engage-us\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">An imaginary open letter: To those who would &#8216;engage&#8217; us&#8230;<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Some thoughts on Best City outcomes\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/07\/05\/some-thoughts-on-best-city-outcomes\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Some thoughts on Best City outcomes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Some Barriers to Engagement\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/06\/13\/some-barriers-to-engagement\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Some Barriers to Engagement<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Getting to Grips with Social Finance &#8211; FREE TRAINING\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/06\/12\/getting-to-grips-with-social-finance-free-training\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Getting to Grips with Social Finance &#8211; FREE TRAINING<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWhat we did establish is that the carrots offered were far less effective than the sticks employed.&#8221; Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts &#8211; talking about the\u00a0&#8216;limited effect&#8217; of Pathways to Work pilots Sticks and carrots have a long and noble tradition in the \u00a0management of donkeys. \u00a0However even [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[21,36,38,39,49,65,67,123,125,141,151,158,164,184,200,210],"class_list":["post-1228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-enterprise","category-management","tag-barriers-to-enterprise","tag-community","tag-community-development","tag-community-engagement","tag-development","tag-enterprise","tag-enterprise-coaching","tag-management","tag-marketing","tag-operations","tag-policy","tag-power-2","tag-professional-development","tag-self-interest","tag-strategy","tag-transformation","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}