Page 231 - The Power to Change Anything

220 INFLUENCER

hen it comes to enabling vital behaviors, we’ve
already looked at two sources: improving personal
W mastery through deliberate practice, and gaining
assistance from others by building social capital. For our third
and final source for increasing our ability (“Can I do it?”), we
move away from human influence altogether and examine how
nonhuman forces—the world of buildings, space, sound, sight,
and so forth—can be brought to bear in an influence strategy.
To show how this might work, we start with an example that,
when it comes to influence theory, is a genuine classic.
In the late 1940s, representatives from the National Res-
taurant Association asked William Foote Whyte, a professor at
the University of Chicago, to help them with a growing prob-
lem. As World War II came to an end, the United States was
in a period of incredible growth and prosperity. Along with this
flourishing economy, Americans began eating out in un-
precedented numbers. Unfortunately, the restaurant industry
wasn’t ready for the surge of customers.
Along with the return of soldiers came an awkward change
in the restaurant pecking order. GIs returned from battle to take
over the higher-paying job of cook, one that, along with “Rosie
the Riveter,” women had occupied for the first time during the
labor-starved war years. Many of these displaced cooks, who had
been forced to step down to the job of waitress, were upset with
the new circumstance. When they shouted their orders, they
weren’t always polite. The gnarled veterans weren’t always
pleased to be taking orders from these women.
Given the increased workload and growing social tension,
loud arguments often broke out at the kitchen counter. The
results were predictable. Not only did the commotion annoy
the patrons, but the power struggles often resulted in late or
incorrect orders—sometimes out of confusion, often out of
revenge. By the time Dr. Whyte entered the scene, both cus-
tomers and employees were stomping out of restaurants in
increasing numbers.