MasonFok.com » Psychology

Game Theory/Dynamics Advisors, a new breed of business optimisation professionals…

Mason Fok — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:40:38 +0000

Games are around us and if you listen to some futurists you should expect to see a lot more highly targeted applications promoting more interactive b2c relationships. One futurist stood out to me some time ago as he had predicted an age when vital sign monitoring would be embedded and points issued for physical activity, where those points could be used to receive lower life insurance premiums.

I think there are a lot of steps between the world today and that hypothetical but for now my position on this is that within 10 years a new profession will peer its head into the business community, one of game theory/dynamic advisory. Universities will offer courses in game dynamics/theory optimisation to meet a growing need for professional game theory advisors. Why be a business advisor when you could specialise in game theory? But for the most part, right now the only people looking to apply the methodology are game designers and selective “Internet” start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Rome was not conceptualized in a day!

Mason Fok — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:35:40 +0000

I like to consider myself a bit of a creative thinker, an idea man that can generate concepts/solutions at the drop of a hat. But, I don’t think I have yet had an idea present itself in a singular moment, at best I get a briefing of a complex issue and an hour, a day, or a week later a strategy has formed. So I feel a lot more comfortable after seeing this talk by Steven Johnson on “Where good ideas come from” as the pestering fact that despite being in the IDEAS field the “Flux Capacitator / Eureka” experience had this far eluded me.

The art of choosing!

Mason Fok — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:49:48 +0000

Sheena Iyengar has invested years of study into how we feel about the choices we make from the trivial to the profound. On the lighter side her research challenges the accuracy of the saying a rose is a rose by any other name. Sometimes a rose by any other name probably does look different and maybe even smells different.

This is a little longer than the usual TED video but if you’re someone that is interested in not just the decision making process but also the cultural effects surrounding decisions you will not be able to look away.

An interesting recap on the change in media.

Mason Fok — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 06:50:49 +0000

The end of top down control of media is something that should be pretty common knowledge by now. The transformation process between traditional top down media to distributed / social media is still occurring on a daily basis.

Clay Shirky is a great evangelist of collaboration and believes that taking advantage of “spare” brainpower will change the way society works.

The audience is becoming more and more engaged. Engaged and empowered to contribute on anything from local news and politics to helping resolving issues big and small.

One thing I would like to focus on is that one person can easily be very, very wrong but the average of the majority is a path to greater accuracy. When these innovations empower the majority to contribute this sets the groundwork for a magnitude of improvement.

Out of the box thinking designed to inspire innovation.

Mason Fok — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:15:45 +0000

An extreme space enthusiast from a young age Peter Diamandis has not limited himself by saying “It cannot be done” and because of this he has been the instigator for some crazy visionary ideas by fostering innovation through competition. The XPrize Foundation has now been responsible for inspiring new industries and revitalizing those currently stuck.

How “Those that Lead” communicate!

Mason Fok — Fri, 14 May 2010 05:22:42 +0000

Simon Sinek has devised a simple to explain model for inspirational leadership. His model helps explain why some people and companies have the ability to hit and exceed the tipping point. Watch the video, buy the book. Consider this and you might just be starting with the “Why”. If you agree and want to apply this model, don’t forget to buy the book.

It’s a bit repetitive but I think it is justified: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy Why you do it.”

Statistical Analysis on Speakers

Mason Fok — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:49:09 +0000

A bit of interesting analysis should you ever find yourself thrown onto the stage at a TED talk near you.

Three Minute Guide to Starting a Movement

Mason Fok — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:07:55 +0000

I couldn’t look past this quick, clear and cleaver guide using a viral video to demonstrate how to effectively create a movement. Take 3 minutes to watch this and another to see how its lessons could be incorporated into your plans.

Why do we think it’s OK to cheat and steal (sometimes)?

Mason Fok — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:39:00 +0000

Dan Ariely is the bestselling author of Predictably Irrational, he describes many unorthodox and often downright odd experiments in an effort to identify how emotional states, moral codes and peer pressure affect our ability to make rational decisions.
This video coveres “Why we think it’s OK to cheat and steal (sometimes)”.

Taking these findings into account and assessing their affect on everyday life and you can find several environments that are actually geared towards cheating, intentional or not.
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) in Australia could really take these studies into consideration.
I would love to see a study whereby drivers are reminded of their oath to abide by the road rules and not drive while fatigued. Do you think it could have a similar effect as the “honour code pledge”?

Natural Sync

Mason Fok — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:49:04 +0000

There is order in nature, if you are a fish, a human or an inanimate object you have a natural tendency to synchronise. Psychologically and physically, I think this is something to remember.

You can replicate this underlying behaviour (synchronization) with an environment containing just four simple rules.

1. You only need to be aware of those nearest you
2. All individuals have a tendency to line up
3. Attraction to each other
4. Dangar = Get out of the way

These four rules have been explained with various definitions over time from laws of attraction to conforming to social pressure but it is these four rules that pop their head up in many welcome and unwelcome circumstances. Keep them in mind and you might just find yourself with a greater understanding of why certain things work and another that is seemingly similar fails.