Our loss of wisdom

BY ‘BARRY SCHWARTZ’
 Our loss of wisdom

 American psychologist Barry Schwartz has a very

interesting TED talk on how we detach practical
wisdom and moral from our work with rules and
incentives.

 The result is bureaucracy. Unfortunately, no set of

rules or incentives will ever create empathy.
 Practical wisdom vs Rules & Incentives

 Do you ever feel that sticking to the rules can

sometimes get in the way of what you think is the
‘right thing’ to do in a situation?

 Of course rules are important part of a functioning

society – from playing sport, to driving on our roads
and performing our jobs.
 Practical wisdom vs Rules & Incentives

 Rules pull us together and give us clear

understandings of what to expect in our everyday
lives.

 But is there a danger in relying too heavily on rules?

 Practical wisdom vs Rules & Incentives

 Barry Schwartz suggests that when things go wrong,

as inevitably they can do, we reach for two tools to
try to fix them

i. Rules &
ii. Incentives
 Practical wisdom vs Rules & Incentives

 While this can be helpful in the short run, ultimately

an over reliance on rules can result in a blanket
approach to situations,

 That sometimes prevent us from responding in the

right way to specific circumstances.
 Depending on Incentives

 When we depend too much on incentives to motivate

people, we set up a system that encourages self-
interest over a moral will to do the right thing.

 Barry argues that this engages us in a war on our

wisdom.
 Practical wisdom

 “Practical wisdom is the combination of moral will

and moral skill.”

 A wise person according to Barry is like an

accomplished jazz musician – using the notes on the
page, but dancing around them, inventing
combinations that are appropriate for the situation
and the people at hand.
 Practical wisdom vs Rules & Incentives

 This TEDs talk help to learn what it takes to be a

morally wise person, and how you can find ways to
generate more wisdom in your workplace.
 A wise person?

 A wise person knows when and how to make the

exception to every rule and knows how to improvise.

 You need the time to get to know the people that

you’re serving, try new things, occasionally fail, learn
from your failures, and be mentored by wise
teachers.
 What Can You Try?

 Be inspired –find examples of morally exemplary

work in organizations.

 Celebrate everyday heroes – can you identify those

around you who consistently go beyond their job
description and expectations to do the right thing, in
the right way for the right reasons?
 What Can You Try?

 It might be showing that extra care and attention to

customers, helping people find the right service, or
challenging unjust work practices. Find ways to
acknowledge and celebrate their efforts.
Thank You 