A500.4.3.RB_Andrzejewski

In her TED talk, Sheena Iyengar states that, "if a choice affects you then you should be the one to make it," in reference to a common American Assumption (Lyengar, 2010).  This guiding principal is based on the point of view that the focus of a choice is on the individual and that one should be true to themselves.  She goes on to say that American's hold the assumption that, "the more options you have, the better choices you will be able to make" (Lyengar, 2010).  Finally, she states that American's assume that, "you must never say no to choice" (Lyengar, 2010).

            I agree with Dr. Iyengar that these are common American assumptions.  This does not mean that they apply to all Americans, however; it is an excellent observation of cultural norms and she gives supporting evidence and examples of her statements.  For example, in studies Anblo Americans did twice as well when making choices themselves versus when others made the choices for them.  American’s identify their choices with who they are and will make choices to support their view of self.  When choosing to choose, American’s would rather make the choice themselves than leave it to another even if the evidence is overwhelmingly showing that their happiness and outcomes would be better off if someone else made the choice for them.  Dr. Iyengar gives the example of a family choosing to take a child off life support and despite the long term emotional impact that it will have on their lives, every American family asked said that they would not have been ok with that choice being made by somebody else.  When given the option of many choices or just a few, Americans tend to feel liberated by their freedom of choice rather than overwhelmed and even though ten or more options usually lead to a poor decision, they would still rather have the options.  In contradiction, other cultures feel overwhelmed and burdened when presented with too many choices and would rather have less choices. 

            These observations and studies show compelling evidence that despite the potentially negative effects of these American assumptions, the belief in the power and purpose of choice and the choice to choose overwhelmingly wins over in American culture.  She states in her talk that with the choice to choose, we begin to see choice in all its strangeness, complexity and compelling beauty (Lyengar, 2010).

            Reflecting on my own decisions in life, I must agree that I absolutely fall into this category.  I choose to choose and my own personal grounding principles and values compel me to strongly uphold this right, despite the potentially negative outcomes or consequences.  I personally feel that if I were to give up this right and allow myself to give up my freedom of choice, that it would more negatively affect my happiness than the alternative.  In the end, I know that I care more about how choices will affect me and my life more than anyone else would care and why would I allow someone else to choose for me, what I could choose for myself?  Even after hearing her talk and listening to the evidence, my perspective on this topic is in no way changed.  These are core values that are planted into us from birth and are culturally stronger than any social experiment results.  I can knowingly accept the negative outcomes of my choice to choose over giving up that choice.      

            The implications of Lyengar’s comments on leadership weigh differently than their implications on personal decisions.  From a leadership perspective, I would have to objectively look at the results of a decision and always choose what is best for the overall success of a group rather than choosing based on my own personal principals.  From a leadership perspective, we cannot choose selfishly, but must look at decisions as a collective.  This requires the ability to step back from our own cultural norms to make the best and most informed and intelligent decision possible.  In addition, her comments imply a need to understand cultural differences from a leadership perspective.  When working with Americans we can relate to and understand our own assumptions, but it is critical to understand that other cultures do not hold the same assumptions.  Through studying and understanding these cultural differences, it will help a leader adapt their approach to the global world that we live and work in today.   

References

Lyengar, S. (2010).  The Art of Choosing.  Ted Global.  Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing?language=en