[How About This Book] Why the All-Star Game Is Not Fun

Book 'Socrates Success Principles'
Limitations of Quantitative Measurement Exist
Psychological Safety Within Organization Essential
Socrates Success Principles Needed

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Does having more stars make a game more enjoyable? Not necessarily. Many say that All-Star games, which gather numerous stars, are far less entertaining than regular games. While the skill levels should complement each other, there are only outstanding skills without the supporting skills needed.

William M. Muir, a professor of zoology, says a similar phenomenon occurs even when only first-place chickens are gathered. It was expected that breeding only the top chickens from each farm would produce superior breeds, but after several generations, extremely aggressive breeds emerged, fiercely attacking each other, resulting in many chickens dying. Consequently, egg production plummeted. On the other hand, when all chickens from a productive farm were moved to the breeding farm, egg production increased by 160%.

David Brendel and Ryan Stelzer, authors of The Socrates Success Principle (Dongyang Books), point out this as a limitation of ‘quantitative measurement.’ They warn, “The fundamental problem in many organizations today is the uncritical acceptance of management theories that say ‘anything measurable is manageable,’ leading to blind faith in numbers and pushing forward. Obsession with numbers puts society as a whole at risk.”

The authors propose the ‘Socrates Success Principle’ as a solution: thinking, dialogue, creation.

Let’s look at an example. A few years ago, a 10-year-old boy was paralyzed from the waist down due to a car accident. The boy required enormous medical expenses, and the insurance company employee responsible for compensation was troubled. The company could pay $500,000, but the opposing lawyer proposed a $250,000 settlement. The lawyer planned to take one-third as a fee. The employee was torn between reducing the payout to gain recognition within the company or considering the boy’s future. At that moment, the Socrates principle was applied.

First, in the ‘thinking’ phase, the employee slowed down and reflected. Instead of a simple ‘yes or no,’ open-ended questions were asked internally. The second phase was ‘dialogue.’ Through conversation with the opposing lawyer, the employee understood the lawyer’s intentions. The third phase was ‘creation.’ They devised a reasonable settlement and plan to secure the resources needed for the boy’s future. Ultimately, they proposed paying $450,000 of the $500,000, limiting the lawyer’s fee to $100,000, and delivering $350,000 to the boy. In the end, the boy received a fair insurance payout, the lawyer earned more than before, and the insurance employee saved $50,000.

Psychological safety is also a virtue emphasized by the authors in the ‘Socrates Success Principle.’ Just as it is difficult to quantify why experimental hens perform well, there are qualitative factors beyond numbers that make a good team, one of which is psychological safety. Using Google as an example, the authors stress that “psychological safety, where employees do not worry about negative consequences on their image, status, or career and can step forward and show themselves, is an absolute factor for a good team.”

The two authors explain through real cases from famous companies such as Google, FedEx, H-E-B, the North American Ice Hockey Islanders team, Footnote, France Telecom, Walmart, and Boeing, that “the new wave of science shows that linear rationality cannot move human minds or motivate them,” and “humans are highly irrational animals, very emotional and deeply socially connected. Therefore, social senses and emotions like happiness greatly influence our performance.”