Would I Follow Me?
Lessons from psychology that assist vegan advocacy
Clare Mann – Barefoot Vegan 2017
With a background in organisational psychology, I have seen people in organisations working in silos on different projects and only engaging with other groups when absolutely necessary. Members of each different group identify primarily with their own group and often resist collaborating and learning from others. My role has been to break down those barriers, increase communication between and within groups and create mutual understanding in order to achieve better collective outcomes.
One of the biggest limitations I have observed is to do with unquestioned assumptions. Without high levels of self-awareness, we often fail to question our assumptions about other people and how things should be done. These preconceived ideas result in prejudice and stereotypes that truly inhibit us connecting with others and collaborating for mutual benefit. An important intervention is to develop to means to continually question our assumptions and our part in creating the outcomes of every interpersonal interaction we have. This, together with learning to communicate effectively and skilfully navigate differences, has the potential to create relationships, groups and organisations that achieve superior collective outcomes whilst becoming satisfying communities in which we can work.