Quick Takes (2):
One of the biggest challenges humans face is figuring out how to effectively coordinate and organize themselves. Throughout history, people have developed a variety of approaches to solving this problem, some of which have been more successful than others. When two or three people work together on a task, it is often easier for them to agree on a plan of action and move forward. When you add more people to the mix, it can become much harder to get everyone to agree on how to approach the task. When everyone involved has different goals, motivations, backgrounds, and beliefs, coordination between them becomes a nightmare. For instance, I am more likely to work with you if we share a lot in common because we understand each other’s perspectives and may find it easier to come to consensus on how to solve a problem. On the other hand, the fewer things we have in common, the more challenging it becomes to work together since we don’t share the same converging points and may have a harder time finding common ground. The more homogenous the company, community, or society, the lower the cost of coordination. However, this does come with its own set of limitations, which I will delve into later. 🧩
The power of coordination is demonstrated in the biblical story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. According to the story humans had one language and a shared vocabulary. One day they decided to build a tower that reached into the heavens so that they could all be together and not be scattered across the earth. The tower was also intended to be a testament to their accomplishments for future generations to see. God became concerned that with a shared language, humans would be able to accomplish anything they set their minds to — once it is proposed, it gets done. God figured out that a way to make that kind of future impossible was to create confusion by causing them to speak different languages. Since they were unable to understand one another, they ended up abandoning the project. What this tells us is that language is a coordination mechanism. Without language, it would be much harder to communicate and understand each other, and it would be much more difficult to coordinate our actions and efforts. Language is especially important when we are working in groups to achieve something because it allows us to share our ideas, make plans, and make sure everyone is on the same page. For me, a shared language or vocabulary are areas of commonalities that I share with other people. These areas of commonality can be related to our background or upbringing, such as our tribe, family, school, religion, neighborhood, or language. They can also be related to our work or professional field, or to our overall worldview or perspective on life. These common elements can be any combination of these things, and they can help us to connect and work together more effectively. 🚀
These commonalities help to build trust and lay the groundwork for good communication and working together. Figuring out who to trust is an underrated skill as our personal and professional success or failure often depends on how accurately we evaluate the trustworthiness of others. When we trust someone, the cost of interacting with them is reduced because we feel confident in their reliability and consistency. Trust acts as a predictive tool, as we tend to trust people who behave in ways that align with our values or expectations. If someone upholds certain values that I also hold, I may trust that they will behave in a way that aligns with those values. If the said someone behaves in a way that goes against our shared values, they not only ruin the trust I had in them but also my willingness to deal with them in the future. 💼
However, values are not fixed and may change over time. In our fast-changing society, it is difficult to only rely on values as a predictor of behaviour. Additionally, people may hold multiple values, and the specific combination of these values can influence their actions in a given situation. To determine whether to trust someone, it is necessary to consider their behaviour in various situations and try to predict how they might act in a new situation — they must consistently demonstrate their trustworthiness through actions. Trust can also be based on negative experiences, such as if someone has repeatedly behaved badly, I can anticipate and prepare for this in my interactions with them. In situations where there is a potential for value or profit, there is also a risk of harm or loss. To minimize this risk, it is important to be able to predict the behaviour of different participants. This is similar to the dynamic portrayed in spaghetti western movies, where characters must be prepared for the possibility of betrayal or even death in order to achieve their goals. Trust is important in any situation, but especially in those where the stakes are high. 🥷
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :)