Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed, and How We Can Stick to the Plan

If you've ever made a bone-headed decision and later on wondered "Why did I do that?" Francesca Gino has the answer. This book is full of research experiments that examine the many factors that go into our decision making process, relevant real world examples, and insights you can apply to make your own decision making process better. Easy to understand, packed with insight, and compelling reading, this book will make you a better manager and marketer. I'm going to recommend this book to everyone I know: the wisdom in here will transform the way you see the world and yourself!

In the movie, Defending Your Life (1991), the central character, Daniel Miller, asks his wife to role-play an upcoming salary negotiation with his boss. Daniel wants to be paid $65,000, and as his wife offers less, Daniel rehearses his position – “I cannot take the job for under $65,000!”In the next scene, the negotiation, his boss offers of $49,000. Before his boss can finish his sentence, Daniel replies: “I’ll take it!”How is it that we get side-tracked from what we want to do, from what we believe, and even from values we hold?Psychologist Francesca Gina demonstrates through numerous experiments how subtle influences affect one’s decisions and behaviour. The context triggered Daniel’s anxiety and he accepts what he clearly he does not want.As Gina demonstrates, there is a plethora of factors that influence one’s behaviour and decisions. If getting advice could improve the outcome of a decision, one will surely ask for the advice, and consider it. Not necessarily. I will depend of what occurred before one had to make the decision.In an experiment, students were shown one of two movies – a beautiful National Geographic movie and Bodyguard, an emotionally disturbing movie about a bullied schoolboy. The students were then given a challenging task to perform for which they would be paid only for success. 74% of those who saw the Bodyguard rejected the offer of help against only 32% of those who saw the National Geographic movie.Unconnected, prior emotions influence how we behave in subsequent unrelated situations. Did a driver cut you off on the road to work? Is that why you rejected a staff member’s request to attend a conference?Ducati, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer is constantly trying to improve their bikes’ performance. They achieve this by having the bikes fitted with sophisticated telemetry and raced around testing tracts. The most expensive sensor on the bike is the rider who also feeds in his riding experience to the information mix. It was noticed that the rider’s input added no improvement at all to the bike’s functioning in too many cases. The rider’s input improved performance only when the researchers factored in the rider’s mood.The evidence is clear: Our emotions impact our behaviour, thinking and decision even when the two are entirely unrelated. The value of this insight in practice is simply that knowledge creates awareness and so taking one’s emotional temperature before making critical decisions is strongly advised.Many outstanding businesses were started by friends, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and this is to be expected. Social bonds are an immense asset when they are positive because they enhance one’s effectiveness. Working with conscientious people will heighten your conscientiousness and with enthusiastic people will heighten your enthusiasm.How strong do bonds have to be to influence behaviour significantly?Gino tested this in a controlled environment where students were asked to complete as much of a 12 part calculation task as they could in 5 minutes. The whole task could not be completed in that time. On completion they were asked to check their own answers and to take their own pay from an envelope of cash on their desks. They were then to place their answer sheet in the recycle bin. As far as they knew no one would be able to tell if they had cheated.Based on previous tests the researchers had a fair idea of what percentage of people would cheat in these circumstances by exaggerating the number of answers they had completed correctly.In one experiment an actor was hired to stand up after a few minutes and ask the researcher what he should do as he had finished. He was informed to count his correct answers and take the appropriate amount from his envelope. He did this then stood up and asked what he should do with the empty envelope, implying that he had finished in an impossible timeframe and had all correct. Clearly, he was cheating. He was told to put both in the recycle bin and leave.Everyone in the room was aware of this event and as clearly aware he that was cheating and would not be caught. The effect of this incident on the other students’ honesty varied.In the experiments where the actor wore a neutral coloured t-shirt, cheating amongst the other students increased by only 4%. When actor wore the university’s t-shirt cheating increased by 24%.We are influenced by subtle cues from others. Is he someone I associate with? Is he one of us? If so, as evidenced by the t-shirt, we are influenced by his behaviour. If he can cheat, and he is one of us, then maybe I can, too.Social influences need to be taken seriously; they too can sidetrack even the usually honest without one even being aware.The book is a fascinating collection of insights into behavioural psychology that covers a wide array of issues all of which are part of our everyday experience. You will be fascinated and enriched by reading this book.Readability Light --+-- SeriousInsights High -+--- LowPractical High -+--- Low Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy

This book is best directed to those in the habit of buying such books as they board the plane or get rested in their hotel room. I was hoping for something more at a personal level of my current thought patterns than a given business episode one may encounter.Like other commentators allude to -- the studies or experiments described seemed to have results preordained which is common for the social sciences. Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt to revisit the obvious now and then.There’s a lot of mentioning of prestigious business schools, professors and business leaders that may have sidetracked me into thinking I would get a lot out of the book. I’m thinking one would learn more from this subject by understanding how magicians or con artists sidetrack their subjects; it certainly would be more interesting and entertaining. But then again, the author would lose prestige in following that pursuit.

Yes, the stories are all true. I have my fake watch in the nightstand drawer, it's a good fake but I tend not to wear it much as I don't want to unknowingly shift my decision making (which apparently is out of my control, who knew?).I watched as my wife worked diligently to bring her research together into this cohesive and fun to read book. I was there during many of the experiments at CMU, UNC and elsewhere helping as much as I could fascinated as the results were tabulated and in utter awe as my wife worked with a smile on her face to write up and publish the results. This is her passion and she is amazing.To those who wrote reviews with less than 3 stars, what book did you read?! Because it couldn't have been this one. Honestly, I feel like you must have been skip-reading or something.To those who wrote reviews saying things like "this book is mostly the same as OTHER PERSON's NAME HERE, don't bother" you must be joking or a shill for the OTHER PERSON's work because although there are times where there is overlap (which is normal when two people work together on projects and then write about them in different books, right?) this book stands on its own.Again, I'm biased but in my humble opinion this book is a must read and will eventually find itself on the all-time best sellers lists globally.

Francesca Gino is a true expert (not another self-promoted "genius" offering one more dreary how-to business book). Her research is top-notch and she extracts exceptional practical value from it. Want to stay on track? Her insights will help you and your team drive the straight and narrow to your objectives.

This book is actually a series of discussions of research performed by the scientist-author and her team into decisionmaking influencers. There are no real "how to avoid having your decisions derailed" tips at the ends of the chapters, or the end of the book. Mostly because the derailing elements are hard to avoid, other than trying to remain aware of them at all times -- and there are dozens of ways we drift.This is an interesting case of a book whose title is perfect but the book doesn;t really pay it off. Sorry.

Experiments presented in a very interesting way, likely to stick. Will use the work in my decision making. Recommended reading.

Nous aimons nous voir en être rationnel. Nous imaginons ainsi en général que nous allons prendre nos décisions en accord avec ce que nous avions prévu de faire, avec les critères que nous nous étions fixés, etc. Or, l'expérience montre que nos comportements réels sont souvent bien éloignés de cette vision idéalisée. Francesca Gino nous rappelle à notre condition de mammifère social ! Dans ce livre, elle fait le tour des nombreux facteurs qui nous poussent régulièrement à prendre des décisions éloignées de nos plans initiaux, sans même que nous en ayons conscience. Elle distingue ainsi trois ensembles de forces susceptibles de nous éloigner de nos objectifs :– les forces propres à nous-même : impact de nos émotions sur nos actions et nos jugements, etc.– les forces liées à nos relations avec les autres : mimétisme social, mécanismes instinctifs d’éviction des rivaux, etc.– les forces induites par notre environnement : surcharge d’information, etc.

This is not what I expected. Well, at least not yet, for I am just at three quarters of the book.I expected examples and explanations of personal, individual failures to stick to the plan.Why do I stay up late despite being tired and having a lot of work to do tomorrow?Why do I want to reduce weight and still eat way to much sweet stuff?Why do I pledge to my staff to be more "straight talking" and still fall back to friendly political persuasions?The book does not help me here.It does, however, give a lot of very well researched information on human decision making. And this is no dry stuff. It is very well written and thoroughly entertaining! I have learnt a great deal about it, about behaviour, individual and team decisions. It is a very helpful book. In a sort of indirect way it may help me to better stick to my plan, by better understanding my behaviour and subconscious distractions.Anyway: I very much recommend it. Good reading! Well researched, entertaining content.

The book includes a nice summary of factors, which influence people trying to reach their goals.It is structured in an understandable way. However I rarely found information, which is new for me. The book might provide more value for people, who did not focus on psychology before.

Gino recounts in fairly simplified terms a long series of academic experiments, mostly using students with occasional field trials or anecdotes from the psychology literature, to illustrate some basic principles of judgement errors. The majority of the book emphasizes this research approach, drawing conclusions or recommendations stated in didactic phrases - however, the book stops at WHY, and doesn't go on to explain in similar detail HOW to retrain yourself (or others) to avoid or at least realize an opportunity.The range of experiments and collaborators speak to the author's lively and inquiring mind!