Welcome to Hardwired Humans

Hardwired Humans is a management consulting firm that designs people strategies based on human instincts.

A strange thing happened to Homo sapiens only 250 years ago: we changed our habitat. With the Industrial Revolution we changed from being hunter-gatherers and villagers and moved into offices and factories. Hardwired Humans explains how the instincts that served humans on the savannah show themselves in workplaces and how we can use Nature to build successful organisations and develop effective leaders.

The obstacles to high-performance in organisations are uncannily similar from one organisation to another. Irrespective of their industry or their country, most leaders say: “In our organisation:

“We see a lot of silo behaviour and internal rivalry”
“Our managers find it hard to give negative feedback”
“Change is difficult to manage and often resisted”
“The gossip grapevine is incredibly effective”
“Our performance appraisal system is not working as it should.”

A strange thing happened to Homo sapiens 250 years ago when we moved into offices and factories. Andrew O’Keeffe explains.

Given that these experiences and many more are common to most organisations then they are not explainable at the organisational level. They can only be explained by a common factor—we all employ humans! Likewise, the solutions to these common issues will not be found at the organisational level. They can only be solved if we understand the human condition that both explains the behaviours and provides the solutions.

Dr Jane Goodall launches Andrew O’Keeffe’s book, Hardwired Humans on 6 June 2011

On the last three occasions that Dr Jane Goodall has visited Australia (2208, 2011 and 2014) she and Andrew O’Keeffe have joined forces to speak to business audiences about the implications of social instincts for leadership; Dr Goodall speaks about chimpanzees and Andrew speaks about humans!. The similarities between the two species relates to our nature as social animals. Business leaders quickly see where behaviours they see around the office come from—clan connections, hierarchy, gossip, politics, snap judgments and status displays. If we understand instincts we can make intelligent leadership choices.

Dr Goodall also shares her environmental message and the role business leaders can play in ensuring a sustainable environment for all living creatures. For more on the mission and work of her institute go to www.janegoodall.org.au.

Andrew O’Keeffe presented with Dr Jane Goodall to business audiences during her visit to Australia in 2008 and 2011.

AOK with Dr Jane Melbourne 4 June 2014 cropped

Andrew O’Keeffe and Dr Jane in Melbourne 2014

Hardwired Humans

Successful Leadership Using Human Instincts

Offices are not our natural habitat. Leadership is easier when you understand the nine instincts that still drive human behaviour.

With the Industrial Revolution only 250 years ago, we left our hunting, gathering and village societies to work in offices and factories. However, we did not leave behind the instincts of social interaction we inherited from our ancestors.

As you read this entertaining book, you will learn how the instincts of clan connections, hierarchy, gossip, politics, snap judgments, status displays and sexual competition continue to drive modern office interactions just as they have driven human interaction for millennia.

Hardwired Humans shares a practical framework that helps makes sense of human behaviour and allows leaders to manage more effectively.

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