The danger of manipulation is that they work and because manipulations work, they have become a norm, practiced liberally by majority individuals, enterprise, corporate and institutions- regardless of size, industry, geography, ageing and ethnicities.
That fact alone creates a systematic and ever increasing peer pressure. With perfect irony, we the manipulators have been manipulated by our own systems. With every priced drop, promotion, fear- based or aspirational message, novelty, we use to achieve our goals, we find our companies, organizations and our own systems getting weaker and weaker on a continuum basis.
The economic crisis that started in 2008, has now upped to health pandemic -pan world in 2019- and is just another, albeit extreme , example of what can happen if a flawed assumption is allowed to carry on for too long. The collapse of the housing market and its subsequent ramifications on the financial, banking industry was due to decisions made inside the banks that were based on a series of manipulations.
Employees were manipulated with bonuses that encouraged short sighted decisions making. Open shamming of anyone who spoke out discouraged responsible dissent. A free flow of loans encouraged aspiring home buyers to buy, indulge more than they could afford at all price levels. There was very little loyalty. It was all a series of transactional decisions – effective but a high cost. Few were working for the good of the whole.
And why would they? There was no reason given to them to do so. There was no cause or belief beyond instant gratification. Bankers weren’t the first to be swept by their own success. Automobile makers- cars manufacturers also conducted themselves in the same way for decades- manipulation after manipulation, short term decisions built upon short term decision.
Buckling, or even collapse is the only logical conclusion when manipulations are there main course of action.
The reality is, in today’s world, manipulations are the norm.
Your call now, folks!
