LOGIC: Why Neuroscience but not Medicine?
Ever since I could remember, I had always wanted to become a doctor like many other kids do. Going through middle and high school, I took more science and human anatomy classes and my interest in medicine only grew. As I further delved into the subject matter, I knew Neuroscience was my calling and becoming a neurosurgeon was my ultimate goal. I wanted something that challenged me intellectually and I simply wanted to make a difference in someone's life— not necessarily in a significant way, but even in the subtlest of ways. And I thought the medical profession was the best combination of my personal goals, academic interests and professional aspirations.
"I wanted something that challenged me intellectually..."
When asked what I wanted to study, I could never quite describe it to people without a six-minute explanation, until I found Neuroscience. Neuroscience is a beautiful field— an intricate combination of science, anatomy, philosophy, ethics, and psychology, amongst many others. There is so much that we do not know about humans, our minds, our brains, our existence. Why we are the way we are, why we do what we do, and why we are who we are. There is never a limit to what there is to learn and as frustrating as that may be for some people, that is exactly why I love it— there is always something left to be learned. It is perfect for me— it challenges me in every way possible. It is never black and white; there is always a gray area that is up for debate and for discussion and it makes me want to listen to others' opinions and perspectives, before forming my own stance on an issue. There is never a dull moment. It can be virtually applied to any field, whether in medicine, business, law, education or politics, simply because it studies the foundation and fundamentals of human beings and humans pervade all aspects of society and fields of study.
"Neuroscience is a beautiful field— an intricate combination of science, anatomy, philosophy, ethics, and psychology..."
So I applied to colleges, knowing I wanted to major in Neuroscience and began my studies at Emory University. As I progressed my education, I expanded my experiences in the medical field— in research and labs and in collaborating with and shadowing doctors and other medical professionals. However, I began to see that the medical field had drastically changed from when I was a child— in my opinion, doctors being able to to significantly less than what I thought they could, due to financial, political, and legal issues. Thus, my interest in medicine, as a profession for myself, started to subside (you can imagine my mom, whose only dream was to have a doctor in the family, was oh, so thrilled).
Why Business?
Though still not completely cutting out medicine as a possibility, I began to look at other fields and for personal reasons, business particularly caught my attention. The reason being, that a large portion of the rules that govern the corporate world are largely ineffective— the 9-5 work hour weeks, hiring process, levels of management, down to even office designs and layouts. Most of our rules and norms were created in the Industrial Age. However, things have drastically changed from then (thank goodness) into what is now even past the post-modern era. Yet, the way we work does not reflect this and still lags behind.
"... a large portion of the rules that govern the corporate world are largely ineffective..."
Our society today differs in an infinite amount of ways: politically, socially, medically, educationally, and ethically. Our ideals have changed; people have changed. So, it is no surprise that companies now face new challenges: employee engagement is at an all time low, retention is difficult due to the relative ease of career and field changes, companies are just starting to identify and deal with problem of The Overwhelmed Employee, and the barrier between work and life has become virtually nonexistent due to technological advances.
Obviously, one fix-it-all rule will not work. Each company is different in its work, people, environment, management and culture. Each company needs to look at itself and individualize the way they operate and tailor its rules to maximize productivity, in a way that is right for them. Many companies have already begun to do so— Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Biogen, Delta, eBay, Apple etc... But we need to see more change occur in all companies, old and new. We must see a bigger focus on culture, engagement, work environment, leadership, empowerment and fit.
"We must see a bigger focus on culture, engagement, work environment, leadership, empowerment and fit."
So where does Neuroscience fit in?
Humans are the most intelligent, advanced creatures— our greatest asset is our thought, individuality, creativity, genius— the exact things machines cannot do. Yet, the workplace environment does not emulate this. We, as a society, have too many stimuli, too much data and information. We have too many things to do, too many reminders, meetings, notes, and shortcuts. We simply do too much. We are in a constant state of frenzy, irritation and impatience. We are overworked; our brains are overworked, to the point that it is losing its ability to focus on any single task fully and completely. As a result, despite our best efforts, something suffers—whether it be our work, family, relationships or physical and mental health.
You and I have probably experienced something like this: You are under pressure. Your inbox is flooded with emails from your client who needs your help. Your manager wants to know how that report is coming; your colleague wants advice on a merger case. Your subordinate needs this and that. We haven't even yet stated with what's going on in your personal life— your spouse and children. Dance recitals, Little League games, house chores, that dinner party at John's. Oop you forgot about date night (Yikes). You become stressed and afraid that you are not going to meet a deadline or will make a mistake and get fired. This fear makes our brains instinctively enter the primitive, survival mode— the fight or flight instinct, which further inhibits the executive functions of our brains. And we begin to down spiral from there.
"Humans are the most intelligent, advanced creatures— our greatest asset is our thought, individuality, creativity, genius..."
The old thinking was that the more hours you put in, the more you're able to do. Although the amount of hours of work is important, it's rather more about the effective usage of our time and energy. Instead of focusing on the nitty-gritty details of the proper protocol, paperwork and hours, we need to shift the emphasis from getting more out of people to investing more in them, so that they are motivated. We need to remember that work is driven by our brain, simply another organ. It needs proper nutrition, oxygen, and rest, just like every other organ in the body. Otherwise, its performance will start to suffer or it might even fail completely. We tend to focus on that fast-thinking, rather than the slower, more deeper thinking, because everyone wants to see results. However, sometimes, we need to slow down, take a breath and step back, to get that top-notch thinking that only we, as humans, are capable of. Most organizations are concerned about and invest in developing their workers' skills, knowledge and competence. But very few are concerned about workers' energy levels, which they take for granted. Companies need to prioritize this to some extent, if they want to continue in their endeavors.
Okay, but so what?
Instead of telling people what, when and where to think, we need to teach them how to think. We need to uniquely empower workers to want to make a difference. I think there are three broad categories in which we need to change the way we work:
1. The People that We Hire
The type of person should not only be right and aptly qualified for the job, but also fit in with the culture of the company. The person's personal and professional values should be compatible with that of the company's. Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg, in their book How Google Works, talk about "smart creatives"— people who are intelligently and passionately connected to their work and they constantly learn, study, experiment and create. Most of Google's products are created in this manner and we all know how ingenious Google and its products are.
We should aim to embrace diversity and realize employees are human individuals and should focus on their individual strengths and find positions that encourage their skills, empowering them to add value wherever they can and thus thrive.
2. The Environment that They Work In
The company's culture should be explicitly defined and the work environment should reflect the company's values and goals— informally, formally, and even aesthetically. Employees should be in an environment where feel like they are actively a part of the mission, which will empower them to deliver and add value in unique and special ways, yet one that simultaneously holds them accountable to results.
"...a culture of inclusion, coaching and learning."
We need to essentially create a "learning environment" to help people continuously learn and develop. A bigger emphasis should be made on making employees happy and giving them a highly engaging, challenging and enjoyable work experience. So it makes sense that the secondary scaffolding includes a healthy workplace, lots of development opportunities, great benefits and pay, and a culture of inclusion, coaching and learning.
"We should not micromanage our employees... workers should have their degree of freedom..."
3. The Way Management Works
There are different types of managers in organizations and their behavior has an impact on their companies. Management needs to cultivate the culture of accountability on both ends. We can use to downplay the hierarchical structure a little— management should look more like a partnership. We should not micromanage our employees, but instead allow individuals to have the space and freedom to get their work done in their own fashion. (That's more the reason we need to hire the right kind of people.) There should obviously be repercussions for a lack of accountability and results, but management should always be available for advice and help along the way.
This is a gross generalization and simplification, just the tip of the iceberg. Certainly, each company is different and it may not be productive to generally implement the same policy and environment to all companies, but each company must begin to introspect and observe deficits, analyze behavior and apply changes.
Neuroscience is a field that is constantly changing because of a confluence of factors— technological advances, newly applied statistical techniques, and even President Obama's brain-mapping initiative. We have already produced new insights into the biology of our minds and strengthened our understanding on crucial concepts, including: how to enable creative thinking, how to structure rewards, the role of emotion in decision making, and the opportunities and pitfalls of multitasking.
You're thinking: Okay, it kind of makes sense and I see what you're saying, but now give me some proof
I'll gladly give you two concrete examples:
1. Google
We all know and love the avant-garde technology company and it is no secret that Googlers have perks that make them the envy of many professionals— free gourmet food, free transportation, massages, luxurious offices, and generous maternity/ paternity leave etc... Google has People Operations and People Analytics departments (don't you just love their names?) and has implemented some of the previously mentioned management schemas. It should probably be obvious by now, but Google doesn't require employees to work from or be at the office. It doesn't even keep track of who's there. There still is accountability, as workers are expected to figure out a schedule with their teams and managers. However, most people want to come in and most, on average, spend nine hours, five days a week in the office. In this case, the general difference between Google and other companies is that workers come to the office on their own volition.
Google also mentally captivates its employees— they offer courses taught by prestigious professors to continuously intellectually engage and challenge its workers. Google is particularly known to understand and value that physical space contributes tremendously to its philosophy, culture, creativity and results. It's beautiful, quirky, yet productive offices constantly push the boundaries of the workplace— their engineers are allowed to design their own workspace. Some have standing desks, attached treadmills, or a wall for scribbling ideas.
Google knows that success depends on innovation and collaboration of it's employees and its unorthodox workplaces and lavish perks yield the exact creativity and productivity that it prides itself on. They prioritize this and it is evident in all aspects of the company.
2. The Energy Project
Tony Schwartz, the president and founder of the Energy Project, too, believes that personal energy is a resource which can be "systematically expanded and regularly renewed by establishing specific rituals— behaviors that are intentionally practiced and have precised schedules, with the goal of making them unconscious and automatic as possible."
Gary Faro, a vice president at Wachovia, was significantly overweight, ate poorly, lacked a exercise routine, worked long hours, and followed a poor sleep schedule. One key ritual Faro adopted and changed was to simply take brief, but regular breaks, at specific intervals throughout the workday, always leaving his desk and office. The premise of the change is grounded in our physiology. "Ultradian rhythms" refer to 90-120 minute cycles where our body moves from a high-energy to low-energy state. Towards the end of each cycle, the body desperately craves a recovery period, manifested by yawning, hunger, concentration difficulty, and restlessness, which most of us ignore and work through. The result is that our energy reservoir diminishes as the day progresses. Simply taking intermittent breaks, to renew and recharge yourself, is shown to have higher and more sustainable performance.
These changes may seen subtle, yet their impact is profound.
And this is what I want to do.
Conclusion
Neuroscience teaches us how people learn and work and how behaviors can be changed. I am interested in seeing how Neuroscience can give a more data-driven approach to managing people— in analyzing human behavior and then making decisions based on this data analysis. I am excited at seeing how this sophisticated analyses can help all types of people-related issues, such as management, recruiting, performance evaluation, leadership, motivation, job design, compensation etc...
A lot of people have ask me why I'm not in the business school, if I want to go into business. And I give them a simple answer: I want to study Neuroscience. I believe studying something you are passionate about is more important that what it is labeled as. Further, I can always advance my education (I plan to) and get a M.B.A., M.D., or Ph.D (I'm pretty flexible and would be content with any of these).
As we learn more about the human brain, we can incorporate its functions into how leaders can use this knowledge to best lead people and develop effective organizations. Neuroscience certainly does not provide all the answers, but it offers insight into how we can tailor the environment in which we work to develop effective organizations. Personally, this is my interpretation of how I see my studies in Neuroscience applied in business. I don't know where exactly my passions will lead me, but I am hopeful and resilient.
Together, you and I, let's change the way we work and let's make a difference.
There's Tons more
Books
