Compatibility

     As I begin to research my questions, I begin to realize that I am not the only person who is curious about these topics. At least that is how I feel at this stage of the research.

     One article that I discovered was on the National Public Radio website where they had interviewed an author named Susan Cain about her new book titled Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.


Cain talks about the shift in the culture when we went from admiring character to admiring personality. In the interview she gives this explanation of the culture shift. "During the culture of character, what was important was the good deeds that you did when nobody was looking. Abraham Lincoln is the embodiment of the culture of character, and people celebrated him back then for being a man who did not offend by superiority. But at the turn of the century, when we moved into this culture of personality, suddenly what was admired was to be magnetic and charismatic." Susan Cain, NPR interview, January 30, 2012


     This started me thinking about who the masses consider to be role models in today's society. Certainly the more extroverted people are getting more publicity and attention. People like movie stars, athletes and reality t.v. stars. Some of them are just rich kids who have done nothing to earn their fortunes aside from simply being born.Yet for some reason, countless numbers of people enjoy tuning in to the camera's following these people around, performing mundane day to day tasks while they scream at each other acting like spoiled children. I find it baffling that people enjoy watching this.

     Why do these people get more recognition and in some cases more admiration than a behind the scenes scientist working on things that matter? Is it just a simple case of only knowing what we are exposed to in the media? Are some people drawn to obnoxious behavior? Do people really enjoy watching it, or is it just the trendy thing to do that allows you have have the water cooler conversations with your coworkers? Are brilliant men and women being ignored in society because they are viewed as silent outcasts who prefer to keep to themselves? Is admiration and appreciation being given to outspoken dominant figures regardless of their intelligence or morals?

     These thoughts took me a bit off track from where I was originally headed, but her interview does later lead me back to the work place and how introverts seem to have the cards stacked against them. A few reasons that she gives to support this claim that office spaces have gotten smaller and less private, and that there is more group interaction now than in previous decades.

During this segment of the interview she cites a research study that was performed at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.



     I found the results of their studies to be very thought provoking. They found that introverted leaders can be just as effective as extroverted leaders given the right type of employees. They went on to explain how the different personality types seem to fit better with different leadership personalities.

     This article has helped to confirm what I've always felt, that introverted leaders can be just as productive as extroverted leaders if given a chance. My question now is, are they given less chances due to the standard practices of seeking employment?

     These findings have raised new questions for me, but have not touched on several of them. One being social media's effect on communication in society. Has it made it easier, harder, better or worse?

     This is where I plan to go next.........

Works Cited:

Cain, Susan. Quiet, Please: Unleashing The Power of Introverts. NPR interview. January 30, 2012

Grant, Adam. Analyzing Effective Leaders: Why Extroverts Are Not Always the Most Successful       Bosses. Knowledge@Wharton November 23, 2010