The Universe has a way of timing its stuff.

A couple of weeks ago I sat parked in my car at Chick-fil-A listening to WUNC.  As I reclined, one foot out the window and prized sandwich (on wheat bun) in hand, the most fascinating story rolled.

You see, there’s a psychology experiment that features some ball players and a woman in a gorilla suit.  This radio program and its guests teased apart the elements, results and practical consequences of the experiment, and for the next half hour I sat lounged at rapt attention in my car under a shade tree outside the N. Roxboro Chick-fil-A.

The experiment is widely known and often repeated.  Here’s how it works.

An audience is asked to watch a video.  The video features several players on two teams who pass basketballs between them.  The members of one team wear white shirts, and the other team dons black.  The observers are simply asked to count the number of passes between players wearing white.

That’s it.  For the next minute or two, the players move around the ball court with no set pattern.  Players in white pass to players in white and vice versa for the team in black.  The observers’ job: count the passes between the players in white.

Midway through the video, a woman in a gorilla suit walks onto the court (stage right) and stands center court among the players.  She briefly beats her chest in characteristic gorilla style and then calmly walks off the court (stage left).

Roughly half the observers of this film fail to see the gorilla.

So focused, so distracted by the details of the task at hand, many lose sight of the big picture.  The research designers call this “inattentional blindness.”  The idea is the video watchers are not negligent in missing the gorilla.  Quite the opposite, they are so vigilant in fulfilling their observational duty they perceive a different, perhaps limited, reality.

When shown the video a second time, many still do not believe it happened or that this is the original video.  If a gorilla had walked onto the court while they were present, they would have seen it.

Yet half the participants did not see a gorilla at all.

~~~

The implications are vast.

The researchers, Chablis and Simons, wrote a book called The Invisible Gorilla that details experiment.  In addition, the book outlines five other failures in perception that deceive us in every-day life.

The radio program stepped back from the hard science, focusing instead on the implications of the findings for individuals and organizations.

You see, in organizations there are two kinds of people: gorilla seers and gorilla missers.  Neither is correct or incorrect.  People simply fall into the categories.

Gorilla missers are detail people.  When given a job, they see the trees – tasks and the literal.  These are very important people.

Gorilla seers are big-picture people.  When given a job, they see the forest – trends and meaning.  These are very important people.

Our old friends Myers and Briggs make the distinction between ‘types’ like this: you are an ‘S’ or an ‘N.’  Your unique identity falls somewhere on a continuum between the extremes in style.  The radio host did not mention the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, but I offer the language because so many of us have been trained to understand perceptive differences in these terms.

In the world of Myers and Briggs, I am what you call a ‘capital N.’  I am so N (intuitive) that I have not one single S (sensing) point.  I can see a thing coming from a thousand miles away – or at least 10 miles, and in multicolored patterns.  People, especially the extreme detail or ‘tree’ people, often have no idea what the hell I am talking about when I share my prognostications.  It is only when I walk them stepwise through the logic or after our ship has struck an iceberg, that someone  says, “Oh, now I understand what she meant.”  As has often happened in my work life, when an extreme detail person comes to understand and accept my big-picture proposition, we know we stand in solid agreement.

Once again, this way of being is neither right nor wrong, better or worse.  It simply makes me who I am in the world.

~~~

Now let’s take a closer look at the experiment and all the creatures involved.

The seers

This is where the radio story really caught my attention.

It seems organizations need both types of people.  That itself is not groundbreaking news.

This is: gorilla seers are not always understood.  This means they are also not necessarily appreciated or accepted in group culture.  Gorilla seers get a bad rap.  At best they are prophets.  At worst they are self-righteous or paranoid trouble makers.  It ain’t easy seeing the big picture.

The discussion of gorilla seers was detailed.  I was so engrossed I do not remember eating the Chick-fil-A.

Here are few noteworthy nuggets:  (pun intended)

• Gorilla seers naturally see through a wide lens.
• Like anyone else, they do not always voice their observations.
• When they do, like people everywhere, they act for varied reasons – from personal agendas to organizational loyalty.
• In any event, calling out an (as yet) unseen fire in a crowded theater makes a girl stand out.
• Where there are only a very few, they are guaranteed to be punished if the leadership is weak or easily threatened.  (Leadership is key.)

The missers

Like seers, missers are neither right nor wrong, good nor bad.  They are simply who they are.

I have known and worked with quite a few.  Like seers, missers are wired for a unique service to the world.

• Generally they perceive the world through numbers, facts and checklists.
• Missers get things done.
• Like the missers in the experiment, whatever their varied motives, they are vigilant in their implementation.
• If people like me did not have them around, we would, to quote a former professor, be “up the proverbial tributary with no tangible means of locomotion.”
• My experience is they can have a certain intolerance for people who take up their time with intangibles and nuance.

Before closing on missers, I would like to speak in defense of my sisters and brothers.  The very word ‘misser’ carries a negative implication.  This is unfortunate.  They are not actually missing anything.  They simply perform life’s duties in a very targeted way.

The gorillas

The great apes of life come in many forms.  They may represent people, situations or life events.  They are not necessarily negative.  Think of the shifts, changes and “bends” in your life.  Any of these may be a gorilla.

[My newest refrigerator magnet: One day can bend your life.]

~~~

The definitions are well and good, but what does it all mean?

For me there are three ways of interpreting most anything.

1. Implications for the self.
2. Implications for the individual in community, in this case an organization.
3. Implications for the individual in relationship with God.

The Self

This one is as unique as we are as individuals.  I have my own gorillas.  I am sometimes a seer and sometimes a misser.  I know what it means for me.  My guess is you can name your own stuff.

The Individual and God

This one is also fairly simple.  For me it means there are times I have been bitch slapped by the universe because Someone wanted to get my attention.  Again, I know my story.  I know my patterns, my misses, my growth.

The Community or Organization

This was the focus of the radio program, and it is complicated.

Another “nugget” gained at Chick-fil-A is this: without regard to seers and missers, the crisis created for the group when faced with the reality of an unseen gorilla allows for organizational creativity and growth.

Again, this is all about the strength (and the humility) of the leadership.  Healthy ego is one thing; hubris is quite another.  The agency may choose to take advantage of the opportunity for learning and growth, or it may waste the chance at a teachable moment in order to save face.

~~~

One distinction that can be made for organizational life is the difference between a) seeing an iceberg from a mile away and b) being driven into said iceberg intentionally.

Put differently, it is one thing to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater to attempt to mitigate damage.  But what if the fire is the result of arson?  In this case if the seer is not in a position of power, and especially if the arsonist is, the seer is in a whole heap of trouble.

Sometimes the dark force lurking among the ball players intentionally distracts observers so that no one notices strategic shifts in direction or organizational values that promote one’s personal agenda or ambition.

If audience attention is drawn strongly enough to shiny, pretty things – new initiatives or the window dressing of saying (not doing) the right thing – no one will notice what is really going on.  This is the Trojan horse theory of gorilladom.  Make such a stir that no one notices you sneaked in the opposing army.  Clever.

~~~

Other times the plot is not as sinister.  Yet the choice of the chest-beating gorilla as the disguise for the distraction in the experiment is interesting.  Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about gorillas and their social interaction:

• The closest relatives to gorillas are chimpanzees and humans, with 95-99 percent shared DNA.
• They live in a variety of habitats.
• When a group is attacked, by humans, leopards or other gorillas, the silverback (leader) will defend the group, even at the cost of his life.
• Aggressive behaviors between group members are common but rarely led to serious injury.
• Gorillas are carpenters, building sometimes elaborate nests on the ground and in trees.  Like us, gorilla carpenters use tools.
• There are 25 distinct vocalizations known among gorillas – different sounds for different life circumstances – discipline, warning, rest and play.
• Severe aggression is rare in stable groups, but equally matched leaders may fight to the death.
• The fight sequence has nine steps.  #5 is chest beating with closed fists, just as in our experiment.
• Sometimes gorillas exert their dominance by making themselves appear bigger than they are.  (This is the [weak] intimidator who stands over you at your desk and will not sit down to talk in the heat of conflict.)
• Gorillas are highly intelligent.
• They grieve loss and are considered to have “rich emotional lives.”
• They are thought to have spiritual feelings or religious sentiments, even distinct group cultures.

We are really not that different.

~~~

Why does it all matter?

That is an excellent question!

The experiment of the woman in the gorilla suit serves to show us something about ourselves so that we might be aware and so we might learn from our mistakes and do differently.

The most basic lesson is that of human perception.  What we see is not necessarily all there is to see at any one time.  There might literally be more happening.

By focusing too intently on certain details, we miss strategic and important action, and sometimes danger.  Beware unnecessary or unusual distractions.  Trust your instincts.

~~~

A quick look at recent news headlines shows how these lessons meet us in every-day life.

Imagine the gorilla is a certain coach.  The seers include some subordinate staff and underage victims.  According to whom you ask, the missers may include those same subordinate staff.  Certainly among the missers is a university administration and a handful of people known only to the gorilla and said missers.  (We were not there.  Judgment in this case belongs to the law and to God.)

WHY DID PEOPLE FAIL TO SEE THE GORILLA?

As in most life situations, there are myriad reasons.  Here are some possible answers.  (Again, judgment about this particular case is not our job.  Take these are general observations.)

• No one wants to know that people are being abused.
• Most people do not like conflict.
• We want to believe the best of people we respect.
• The power of power cannot be understated.  Someone is in a position to fire someone else.  Careers are on the line.
• What if no one believes me?
• It’s my word against a public figure.
• If I acknowledge what I have seen, I have to do something.
• Maybe the missers missed because they were intently focused on their own jobs.
• While ultimate responsibility lies on a small governing board, they are volunteers.  They are not close enough to internal operations to understand day-to-day reality.  (For those who are, the above bullets apply.)

In cases such as a certain university coach, public scrutiny invariably falls to family members, specifically the wife.  After all, how could she not know?

Newsweek addressed this recently with what I believe to be one of the key features of abusing gorilladom.  In an article titled “Complicit Wives,” Jessica Bennett and Jacob Bernstein write, “…the abusers are usually charismatic and popular – not creepy loners…they don’t come across as angry or aggressive.”  They add, “Still, perhaps the biggest obstacle to recognizing when something severely dysfunctional is going on is the marital bond itself.  This is your husband; you’re in love with him.”

Gorillas are known for being able to ape the characteristics you wish to find in them.  Select few in a gorilla’s life see her true character.  (Character is what we do when no one is watching.)

Sometimes we are in love with them.  Sometimes we are in love with the idea of them – their demographics and vital stats.  If they were only the heroes we need them to be.

If a gorilla flashes a big ape smile on cue or laughs such a big laugh on stage that it seems insincere, it probably is.  The real story is to be found behind the curtain.

It must also be said there certainly were some people who knew and who did not ‘miss’ anything.  They also did not act.  To them I say: 1) Shame on you.  Someone was counting on you.  2) You have created your own chain of consequence on Earth.  3) Ultimately it is between you and God.

~~~

Whose responsibility is it to know what is going on in the locker room (or the staff meeting, board room or fill-in-the-blank prepositional phrase)?

The answer: yours, mine and theirs?  No, the answer is ‘ours.’  This is about community and organizations, after all.

It is in the social realm the stakes are most complicated.  As members of groups, we hold responsibility for our fellow members and the success of the group at large.  Whether calling a gorilla sighting what it is or having a seers back, we ought to support one another.  If in doubt, we are expected to take a peek behind the curtain.  So often we don’t.  Our actions (and our inactions) all come back to us in the end.

This is, in fact, the human condition.  We all fail one another and ourselves every day.  We can, however, do better.  Like our tool-bearing simian relatives, we are capable of learning from our mistakes.

In a world of seedy locker rooms, shooting the messenger is all too common.  Seeing the big picture is a risk.  Acting on it is an even greater risk.

Worthy of remembering is that both seers and missers are required in healthy social structures and organizations, even governments.  The mix is required for community wellbeing.  An organization that lists too heavily in one direction is bound to capsize eventually.

Beyond that, the responsibility is deeply personal; it is about my internal growth as well as my relationship with God.

~~~

The next time you see a gorilla, take note.  If someone else does, back the seer.  When in doubt, take a look behind the curtain.

As always, act only for the Good.

God bless the gorillas, the missers and the seers.  Even when difficult or damaging, they often bring gifts in disguise.  (A Trojan horse is not always bad.)

Thank you, Chick-fil-A.  Thank you, WUNC.

Thank you, Universe.

© Mitzi Viola, 1/10/12