Charles Duhigg's Masks: An Analysis

Power difference is inevitable in most situations, as in one way or another, there is someone who is societally above another in rank and hold of power; this interaction between subordinate and dominant is, as described by James C. Scott in his work Behind the Official Story, a “public transcript,” or “the open interaction between subordinate and dominant” (Scott 2). This is opposed to any interaction that takes place away from the view of dominants, and often amongst those who are of similar rank, named by Scott the “hidden transcript,” or “Discourse that takes place ‘offstage,’ beyond direct observation of powerholders” (Scott 4). It is these “masks” that guide social interactions in a multitude of areas, including work environments. Charles Duhigg’s chapter “Teams: Psychological Safety at Google and Saturday Night Live,” emphasizes an important social interaction in work environments in the form of a positive norm: psychological safety. Psychological …show more content…
Duhigg proclaims that “when [a] group unites, the sum is much greater than any of its parts,” (62) in other words meaning that not one person can make a successful group, not even a very productive leader. Using Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live as an example, Duhigg exemplifies how, through his leadership, the cast felt that he unified them and made everything come together (64). He further describes how team members felt that “[Michaels] had an ability to make everyone feel heard, to even make the most self-centered actors and writers pay attention to each other,” (Duhigg 62) and with SNL’s success as a team, this demonstrates the importance of leadership demonstrating positive group norms amongst team members during the public