By nature, we are interdependent
The power outage crises in Texas showed the weakness of independence, but the community showed its strength when supporting each other in its aftermath.
With the current polarization, a curious fact remains. As humans, we are interdependent. The interdependent human dynamic includes a blend of mutual dependence, power, conflict, and future interdependence. Each dynamic contains behaviors and outcomes – how individuals act and what they expect as outcomes. While the interactions can get messy, the connected future is cleaner.
Abraham Lincoln and Adam Smith Knew the Power of Community
Leaders like Abraham Lincoln knew how to inspire a sense of community to stimulate action for a better future. A melding vision is communicated. Also, an empathetic understanding is attained of a person or group impacted by a policy or action. Adam Smith called this the impartial spectator, essentially placing yourself in the shoes of those affected. Successful policy leaders understand the power of interdependence to pursue an inclusive direction and achieve progressive results.
Stakeholder capitalism has become a popular notion, but it needs more substance and action. A community element is evident in stakeholder theory, too. An ideal of the greater good binds people and helps them find a way forward to improve life, work, and society for everyone rather than a select few.
Texas, What an Independent Mess
In Texas, we saw the impact of independence. The power grid is standalone, except for El Paso. El Paso chose to join the western grid, and they experienced no massive outages during the winter storm. For the rest of the state, the independent mindset culminated in a severe lack of planning, even with a directive to do so after the 2011 winter storm. The result was a tragic failure to serve the community and a stark example of independence over interdependence.
Independence can mean freedom, but it sets the stage for ineffective policies and outcomes when self-interest takes over. Interdependence delivers better choices when we invoke a sense of community and put ourselves in the place of those most impacted by actions or inactions. We need an interdependent mindset in leaders.
The Strength of Interdependence
Interdependence embraces behavioral aspects, so we need to tap into the motivations of our stakeholders when developing new policies and plans. Outcomes weave through the interdependent dynamics, too, but we need to ensure we achieve the desired results for relevant stakeholders. We need to find our inner Adam Smith and be impartial spectators to find common ground for the greater good. Better yet, we should engage the involved stakeholders in collaborative policy and plans.
Instead of pursuing a policy example of “don’t mess with Texas,” we can avoid the messiness of independence over interdependence. After all, are we not stronger intertwined than unraveled?
References
Freeman, R E., Harrison, J. S., Wicks, A. C., Parmar, B. L., & Simone De Colle. (2014). Stakeholder theory: The state of the art. Cambridge University Press.
Gerpott, F. H., Balliet, D., Columbus, S., Molho, C., & de Vries, R. E. (2018). How do people think about interdependence? A multidimensional model of subjective outcome interdependence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(4), 716–742. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000166
Leigh, E. G. (2019). Can the morality of a group whose members are interdependent be extended to all humanity and beyond? Evolution: Education and Outreach, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-019-0114-1