According to research, we feel less responsible for our actions when we act out orders.
If you think that your team is not performing to their best, rather than howling or blaming them, check if they are avoiding good work because of your bossy or Hitler-like attitude.
According to researchers from the University College London and colleagues, when someone gives us an order, we actually feel less responsible for our actions. “Many good people get convinced to do something bad that they are unwilling to do because they actually feel less responsible for their own actions and painful consequences,” the study noted.
To reach this conclusion, the team sought to answer this question by measuring a phenomenon called ‘sense of agency’. They measured ‘sense of agency’ to explore changes in perception when someone delivered a mild electric shock to another person, either on orders or by their own choice. When the participants chose freely, they were encouraged along with the promise of a small financial gain. They also knew exactly what kind of harm they were inflicting because pairs of participants traded places with each other.
