Teamwork Articles

Pluralistic Ignorance
Homeowner associations sometimes come under attack for suppressing Bill of Rights freedoms. Sometimes the accusation is one of principle (I’m not allowed to do what I want) rather than a specific instance (I’m not allowed to post signs). While the media makes it appear that this phenomena is pervasive, in reality, they are isolated cases caused by an overly aggressive board, member, or both, who lock horns. Most HOAs actually enjoy an incredible amount of consensus. And why is that? Is it a herding mentality?

According to ChangingMinds.org "Groups all have norms of attitude and behavior which are shared and which help form the identity of the group. Adopting these norms, even if you do not agree with them, is a part of the individual sacrifice that people accept as a price of group membership. It is thus possible for groups to have norms which hardly anyone agrees with, but with which everyone conforms. These situations typically occur when the norms are older than all members of the group or when one member or a small group is dominant and can force their attitudes on the rest of the group."

This phenomena is called "pluralistic ignorance" (PI) by social psychologists. It is a state of mind in which people mistakenly think their own thoughts and feelings are different from those of people around them and look to others for cues instead of trusting their own instincts.

PI is particularly vexing when the situation involves imminent danger. When the danger appears to be ambiguous (unsure if the danger is real or perceived), the social rules of belonging and acceptance trump looking different or alarmist. Once the situation is correctly interpreted as dangerous, pluralistic ignorance fades and logic takes hold: RUN!

But can PI explain what goes on in homeowner associations? Do HOAs really adopt norms that few agree with but with which most conform? Well, yes and no. Norms come in all shapes and sizes. Some are contentious and others really don’t matter that much. Most issues in HOAs simply aren’t worth fighting over. There has to be some standard and while no standard will reflect everyone’s standard, some standard is better than no standard. The driving consideration is whether the standard is "reasonable".

Humans seem to possess an innate sense of fair play. It’s sometimes described as "live and let live". Part of that sense is the willingness to sacrifice a personally held belief for the greater good, as long as that sacrifice doesn’t land too close to home. So, if the board enacts a policy that is "reasonable" (not hot, not cold but juuuuuust right), most will accept it and move on.

On the other hand, those that have their closely held beliefs challenged or denied often respond aggressively, even taking the matter to court, or in a few extreme cases, resorting to killing. This much is clear: challenges to matters of principle can trigger disproportionately large responses. There are numerous court cases where extensive time and money (BIG money) has been expended to validate those matters of principle. But when the judge’s gavel has fallen, win or lose, the adversaries will return to being neighbors trying to find a way to get along. Only now, a wall of pride usually takes the place of the contested principle. The feud isn’t over by a long shot.

A survey once stated: "It’s said that the two greatest problems in America are ignorance and apathy. What do you think?" Answer: "I don’t know and I don’t care". There is a degree of those attitudes in HOAs. It’s not malicious. Some folks just aren’t interested. That leaves HOA matters in the hands of the few that are. The rest mill around in the stockyard of apathy chewing their cud.

Of the few that remain, some serve on the Board and others watch what the Board does. Again, the watching generally is just that because most HOA Board do pretty well about avoiding controversy. But sometimes the Board isn’t handling business properly or at all. In an effort to avoid confrontation, some Boards neglect to collect money or enforce the rules. Board watchers are quick to blow the whistle.

But is anyone listening? Is pluralistic ignorance getting in the way? Or is it a lone voice crying wolf in the wilderness by throwing stones at glass houses? Holy mixed metaphor! Clearly, how well the Board manages business has a profound affect on the member home values and community livability. Whether the other members are engaged or not, it behooves the Board to strive for excellence. BACK

Presence & Presents
At the core of every homeowner association is the principle of "volunteerism". It is a noble calling which calls for personal sacrifice: giving up self interest for the greater good. Americans, arguably the most self-indulgent citizens of the world, have a curious ability to rise to the occasion and give of themselves. Americans donate considerable time, talent and treasure to the downtrodden of the world. Some pay the ultimate price for this noble work. There never seems to be a shortage of opportunities.

The notion of volunteering in an HOA is usually cast as serving on the Board but volunteerism actually takes on a variety of forms:

Lifestyle. HOA Members agree when they buy in to voluntarily comply with rules, regulations and restrictions that non-HOA property owners are not required to do. These include architecture design, parking, pet and other significant lifestyle restrictions. This is no small thing considering Americans view property rights as holy. Presumably, they do so because they agree with the restrictions and don’t view them as negative.

Financial. HOAs always involve payment of money, sometimes a lot of money, to keep the HOA operation perking along.

With HOAs, reserve planning calls for setting aside money for future renovation that may not happen for up to 30 years. This kind of advance planning is necessary because HOA ownership interests are collective. Sharing assets like roofs and siding means that individuals no longer have maintenance responsibility, the HOA does. To fund these collective costs requires each owner to contribute the portion of the future costs proportional to the time in ownership.

Service. Volunteer service is where "the rubber meets the road". Directors of the Board are called on to make executive decisions. If the HOA is professionally managed, the Board’s primary function is to oversee the manager who oversees the operation. An organized board using professional management can accomplish its calling with a only few meetings a year of a couple hours each. The obligation is light and volunteer directors have insider control over outcomes.

Non-elected volunteer service comes in several forms. Committees can be either "standing" or "ad hoc". Standing committees have ongoing functions. Examples include Architectural Review, Landscaping and Pool. Ad hoc committees are formed for a single purpose that, once accomplished, ends the further need of the committee. Examples include Budget and Winter Social. Committees allow members with time and talent to focus on an area of interest without being on the front line. While some committees can have a demanding load (Architectural Review), others can be low activity level.

Neighbor. This is probably the most innate form of volunteerism. Each of us is called to care for our neighbor in tangible ways. The first step is to get acquainted. The next step is to find common ground or interests upon which to interact in an ongoing basis. The greatest step is to develop an actual interest in your neighbor as a person so that watching out for his concerns becomes a matter of habit.

In the final analysis, all HOA members are volunteers in one capacity or another and to one degree or another. We can’t avoid it. By presence or presents (physically or financially) HOA members join in and sacrifice personal interest for the greater good. And there are millions of such volunteers actively engaged in HOAs everywhere. You can’t run. You can’t hide. Enjoy the volunteer ride. BACK

Pick Me, Pick Me!
When it comes Board elections or need for a committee member, are volunteers scarcer than snowballs in hell? This is a common frustration in homeowner associations where the same few good women or men seem to shoulder the responsibility for life. So, how do you get others to raise their hand and step forward? Some suggestions:

Communicate Regularly. Uninformed owners are uninvolved owners. If you don’t tell them what’s going on and give them a reason to get involved, they won’t. A newsletter and flyer distribution box is an inexpensive and convenient way to get the word out.

Put Them on a Pedestal. Most people love recognition. Turn a "thankless" job into a position of honor. Hand out kudos and certificates, praise and congratulations. Do this at every opportunity...at meetings, in newsletters. Volunteers are attracted to uplifting environments.

Socialize. People like helping people they know but easily dodge commitment to strangers. The HOA should sponsor several socials each year to break the ice. Consider a spring clean-up party, pool party or just plain old potlucks. It will help create a real sense of "community" and desire to join in.

Encourage. Volunteers need to know they are doing the right thing. Remember to build them up and ask if they need help. Value their opinions.

Remember as a kid waiving your hand wildly to be recognized by the teacher? Age tempers that need to stand up and stand out. It takes someone to get the ball rolling. Pick me, pick ME! BACK

Dem Bones
Within every organization, there are folks that contribute something either positive or negative to the outcome. Homeowner associations are no exception. Even though HOAs are driven by volunteers, the body is made up of four kinds of bones:

Wish Bones. These bones wish that someone else would do the work. When called on to serve on the Board or committee, the common response is "Oh, waaay too busy, but thanks for asking" or "I didn’t move here to do that kind of thing." Au contraire, mon frere. HOAs require service from each and every member in some form. And virtually every HOA has some function great or small that a member can help with, even it’s a one time social.

Jaw Bones. These bones have an opinion about everything. They express themselves to the Board, the manager and any other members that will listen. Trouble is, they seldom offer to be part of the solution.

Knuckle Bones. These bones are fault finders or that-will-never-workers. They criticize or obstruct but offer no constructive alternative or willingness to help. While every HOA member is entitled to an opinion, when the opinion is delivered in an haranguing manner, it’s neither appreciated nor productive. Fortunately, all is not lost. Every HOA manages to also have...

Back Bones. No body can stand tall without one of these. Those that do the work support the whole HOA body by doing the heavy lifting. In this body, however, there is room for more than one.

Dem bones, dem bones. Which bone are you? BACK

Group Think
Homeowner associations are often portrayed as the detached governed by thankless volunteers. It’s the blind leading the blind....the clueless in charge of those that could care less. So how should this union of the unwilling go about acquiring the wisdom it needs?

James Surowiecki makes the case that a group is smarter than the smartest individual in his book "Wisdom of Crowds". Surowieki’s research indicates that the wisdom of answers from those with only general life experience exceeds the wisdom of world experts. Here are some excerpts from an interview:

How did you discover the wisdom of crowds? The idea really came out of my writing on how markets work. Markets are made up of diverse people with different levels of information and intelligence, and yet when you put all those people together and they start buying and selling, they come up with generally intelligent decisions. I realized that it wasn't just markets that were smart.

Could you define "the crowd?" A "crowd" is any group which can act collectively to make decisions and solve problems. So, big organizations like a company count as crowds and so do small groups, like a team of scientists working on a problem. But so are groups that aren't really aware of themselves as groups, like investors in the stock market. They make up crowds, too, because they're collectively producing a solution to a complicated problem: the choices of investors determine stock prices.

Under what circumstances is the crowd smarter? There are four qualities that make a crowd smart:

Diversity. Group members are bringing different pieces of information to the table.
Decentralized. No one at the top is dictating the crowd's answer.
Summarizes Answers. Combines all member answers into one collective verdict.
Independent. Individual answers are independently arrived at without worrying about what others think.

And what circumstances can lead the crowd to make bad decisions? Bad answers are more likely when most of the group are biased in the same direction. When diverse opinions are squelched, groups tend to be dumb. It usually spells disaster when too much attention is paid to what others think. Stock market bubbles are a classic example of group stupidity: instead of worrying about how much a company is really worth, investors start worrying about how much other people think the company is worth. The wisdom of crowds is that the best decisions come from independent individual decisions.

What kind of problems are crowds good at solving and what kind are they not good at solving? Crowds are best when there's a "right" answer to a problem. If there is a factual question, groups consistently provide the correct answer. Groups aren't good at problems of skill—for instance, don't ask a group to perform surgery or fly a plane.

Why are we not better off finding an expert to make all the hard decisions? Experts, no matter how smart, only have limited amounts of information. They also have biases. It's very rare that one person can know more than a large group of people, and almost never does that same person know more about a whole series of questions. It's actually hard to identify true experts.

How can the crowd's collective wisdom help an individual? The principle works for individuals as long as the groups are diverse and individuals try to be as independent as possible.

Is the wisdom of crowds about consensus? No. The wisdom of crowds emerges from disagreement. It's the "average" opinion of the group, but not an opinion that every one in the group can agree on. Collective wisdom does not result from compromise.

In the final analysis, while it’s common to rely on the wisdom of experts or leaders when making difficult decisions, it’s more effective to rely on the wisdom of the group. Together all of us know more than any one of us does. The Board of a homeowner association can draw wisdom from its members by involving them in policy and rule formation, the annual budget exercise, architectural design and a host of other decisions. Involving the members adds another bonus. Compliance is more likely when the governed are involved in the governance. (Remember the Boston Tea Party?) BACK