A500.4.3.RB_WrightKyle

Ballet Slippers or Adorable?

In the  TED video by Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing. Dr. Iyengar assumes that Americans believe the following when it comes to making choices: Make your own choices, More options leads to better choices, and Never say no to choice.

 

Do you agree with Dr. Iyengar?

 

In reflecting on Dr. Iyengar's assumptions in Ballet Slippers or Adorable was talking to my wife, Robin,  who was a cosmetologist years ago and recalls having a similar situation with two colors of nail polish barely there and cotton candy which she used for French manicures. She recall it taking customers 15 to 20 minutes to choose between the two colors so she stop giving the customer the choice in similar shade of the same color. As to Dr. Iyengar's assumption that Americans believe, you should make your own choices, that more options lead to better choices, and never say no to choices, I would have to agree that the majority of American believe these statements. I would even take it a step further and say that most Americans believe that not only should you make your own choices, but you entitled to make your choices, years ago I would have also said that Americans believe that you are responsible for the consequences of those choices but that belief seems to be something that has been left in the past. While I was talking to Robin she mentioned working at the prisons as a guard, she work at the Robertson correctional facility and the Sweet Water juvenile correctional facility, one of the differences she noticed was the number of altercations the juvenile correctional facility had because the residents had choices such as what they wanted to watch were as the adult correction facility did not, their only choice for watching television was channel nine.

 

What is the implication of her comments on leadership?

 

In concluding I agree with Dr. Iyengar's assumptions that Americans believe they must have choices, I also think Dr. Iyengar was correct in the assessment she alluded to that too many choice can be problematic.  As a military member that has spent eight of the last eleven years stationed in Japan I can tell you from experience that part of the culture shock in coming back to the states is the number of choices for simple things like milk.

 

References

Iyengar, S., Dr. (n.d.). Retrieved Sep 5, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.html

Nosich, G. M. (2011). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide To Critical Thinking Across The Curriculum (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson HE, Inc.

Wright, R. (2015, Sep 5). (K. Wright, Interviewer)