Open Collaboration and our Lizard Brains
summary
Argues that open collaboration stalls not for lack of process but because primal threat responses hijack reasoning, citing Kahneman’s system 1/2, a Triune brain sketch and a catalog of at least 188 cognitive biases. Uses the SCARF framework (status certainty autonomy relatedness fairness) to map common blockers like the wizard developer, middle‑management guardrails and “mortgage‑driven” job‑security behavior. Recommends concrete fixes: document and mentor, align incentives, give autonomy, public recognition (trophies/badges), and expect emotional reactions that can last minutes to hours.
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chapters (8)
- 0:00Introduction and speaker intro
- 3:57Why collaboration isn’t universal
- 9:32The myth of rational decision-making
- 12:21Understanding the lizard brain
- 17:59Threat response and the SCARF model
- 23:15Managing emotional reactions to change
- 27:09Key takeaways and closing
- 28:35Q&A session begins
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