Wear a uniform – people will do what you tell them!
Posted on: Thursday, September 8, 2016 Category: Blog (58)Uncategorized (59)
< 1 min read
If you work in retail, or banking, you probably wear a uniform. While uniforms are restrictive on personal expression, they are a branding necessity. Uniforms build brands. They also serve to identify a person’s status, group membership, and legitimacy.
Uniforms have two functions – conformity and distinction. A school uniform ensures a level playing field at school but ensures you stand out in a plain clothes-crowd.
A researcher in 1974 sought to explore how uniforms affect people’s decision making in response to instructions. Random pedestrians were asked to pay for a park meter, pick up bags, and move from a no standing zone. Men in security guard uniforms were obeyed 9 times out of 10. Men in plain clothe were obeyed only a third of the time. The uniform provided legitimacy – even if not legitimate.
Uniforms also influence feelings of authority. In Milgram’s famous 1963 experiment involving the use of electric shock punishment. When asked by a person in a lab coat with clipboard, participants were willing to administer up to 450 volts of electricity onto another person, despite such an act conflicting with their personal conscience. The conclusion – ordinary people will set aside personal values to follow orders from an authoritative figure.
Legitimacy is empowering. So – wear that uniform! Increase your legitimacy. Become a leader. Become more authoritative. Increase your influence. And isn’t that what we all want.
