If today’s manager wants to listen to his teams, make informed decisions or unite his employees, the support of neuroscience can be of great help. They allow us to understand how the human brain works and the reactions of each person. Explanations.
When it comes to management, practices are constantly evolving. And like a society in full mutation, what was valid in the past is no longer always valid in the 21st century. We never stop learning, evolving thanks to the fruits of experience. “, confirms Bertrand Samson, expert management consultant, director of the Oasys Management Observatory© and co-author with Professor Pierre-Marie Lledo and David Destoc of ” In the manager’s brain », published by Vuibert.
If managerial practices can draw on the fruits of experience and the evolution of society, they also benefit from drawing on the latest neuroscientific discoveries. Our brain has acquired more complexity over the centuries. It is quicker to detect change but this has a cost because it is also more vulnerable to stress, burnout… It is important to take these parameters into account as a manager to protect yourself and take care of your employees. “, adds Professor Pierre-Marie Lledo, neuroscientist, director of the neuroscience department and the laboratory ” Perception and Action “at the Pasteur Institute and the laboratory” Gene and Cognition » at the CNRS.
Not two but four brains…
Neuroscience research continues to progress and teach us more about how our brain works. If since the 70s, we have readily spoken of the right brain and the left brain, today research tends to present four instead:
- A brain located throughout the body (intestine, heart, etc.). It is the substrate of intuition.
- A brain ensuring automatisms, vital functions.
- A limbic brain that manages emotions and learns from them.
- A brain dedicated to projections into a desirable future, seat of personal and collective desires.
All these brains have the common goal of enabling us to act in diverse situations.
How to get the best out of your brain when making a decision?
Launching a new product, stopping a project, resolving a conflict, outsourcing services or not… On a daily basis, a manager is required to make many decisions. To achieve this, he can use three systems:
- automatic mode: It is an intuitive, quick and unconscious decision.
- adaptive mode: It’s about weighing the pros and cons of various options to have a reasoned reaction. It’s the prefrontal cortex that analyzes a large set of data and it takes more time.
- inhibitor mode: It is a hybrid system between the first two modes, between intuition and reason.
” When we explore a problem, we are expected by those who depend on our decision. It is better not to take too much time to decide because only action dispels doubts. A decision, such as moving offices for example, always makes people happy and unhappy. A questionable decision is always preferable to waiting for a decision. You have to dare to take the plunge when you are a manager “, says Bertrand Samson.
An observation shared by Professor Lledo who invites us to be wary of our brain and not to overestimate it. We must remain modest because in a very short time the brain can provide a wrong answer. And on the contrary, it can also take its time to opt for the right decision and then it ruminates, sets up negative filters and generates anxiety, depression. ” warns the neuroscientist.
Understanding how the brain works to motivate an employee
One of the manager’s missions is to motivate his employees around a project, an objective. To be effective, it is still necessary to understand which points will really speak to employees. Professor Pierre-Marie Lledo explains that the motivation process is intrinsic to the person. It comes from them and allows them to be focused. It is therefore difficult to transmit one’s motivation, one’s energy to another person – in this case an employee – because their motivations may differ.
The solution? We need to identify what creates desire in the other person’s brain. Previously, the manager gave an order and that was enough to get it done, but times have changed. “, adds Bertrand Samson. By taking this change into account, we can create motivation. It is then a question of creating a framework, of offering tools and objectives conducive to motivating the employee.
In times of change, how can you best support your teams?
Habits help to reassure, provide benchmarks and ensure a certain comfort. Also, when a company is faced with a period of change, this can give rise to doubts, concerns, questions and fears that can quickly be communicated within teams. The work atmosphere and performance can suffer. To counter this, Professor Lledo and Bertrand Samson encourage a paradigm shift and the adoption of a long-term vision.
This helps avoid getting bogged down in the obstacles of the moment to see the long-term benefit. For example, a change of software within a company can cause temporary technical problems, a loss of time, annoyances but facilitate the procedures and gain in efficiency later. There will be a phase of resistance to this change, but it is already the beginning of acceptance. People are asking for something in return for these temporary difficulties and negotiations are taking place. “, experts emphasize. Understanding how human brains work is key to managing today and in the future.
Dorothée Blancheton
