Stanley Milgram comes to Camp.
Milgram Experiment & Camp Culture: Lessons in Incremental Changes and Leadership
Most of us have heard of Stanley Milgram, or at least his obedience experiments where participants delivered what they believed to be fatal electric shocks to test subjects, not knowing that they were really actors. Two-thirds of the participants delivered life-threatening shocks, despite pleas from the participants about their pain and heart conditions. They did so simply because they were following instructions, as a scientist told them they needed to continue. Despite this experiment being replicated elsewhere with similar results, we all, of course, believe we would be in the one-third that said no. Of course, we would.
(I joked about killing people at Camp here, but that’s not where we are going with this.)
There are two often overlooked aspects of this experiment that do relate to camp. The first is that no one was asked to turn up the dial and deliver the life-threatening 450 volts on the first wrong answer. The volts were delivered in very small, almost unnoticeable 15-volt increments. The second aspect is that it was done in a good cause – the advancement of science. Replications of the experiment that didn’t have lofty end goals or progressive increases in the negative effect do not have the same kind of results.
Likewise, the erosion of our camp culture caused by staff behavior is never one person delivering a death blow; it’s a death by small and incremental actions. It's small events, almost imperceptible, that we don’t address, that cause the erosion of our norms and the destruction of our culture. What's worse, the people doing the damage often intend the opposite; they act out of love for camp, thinking they are advancing things.
Let's say it starts with us. We wait 5 or 10 minutes to start a training meeting as there are stragglers coming in, wanting to make sure that they get the full benefit of the training so we can have a great camp. But we are sending a message to everyone assembled that it’s okay to be late. We’re also sending a second message to the assembled staff, that their time is less valuable than whatever it was that delayed the handful of staff that are late. Fast forward to the first day of camp. It’s check-in time and your staff start rolling in late. You are angry that they are disrespectful. But it’s the culture you helped create by sending the message that being on time is secondary to whatever else it is you’re doing. We thought we were making camp better by waiting for late arrivals.
You schedule a staff member to attend an offsite training course, but they stay late to help set up for an event. By the time they are ready to leave, it’s too late, and they don’t go to the training you paid for. They were trying to set up for the event – helping camp. But they have also displayed to you that they don’t really care about camp. Because now our camp staff (them) are not as well trained or lack knowledge you thought valuable enough to pay for them to attain.
You have staff that want to treat their kids like 'grown-ups' and let them swear or use their phones when they’re in the cabins, so they can have a better experience. We know how this ends, so I won’t elaborate.
No one in the above scenarios was acting maliciously trying to destroy your camp. But I have a colleague that talks about termites and tornadoes. We quickly fire the tornado staff that comes and breaks things up. But it’s the termites that eat away at our culture nibble by nibble, and we don’t see the damage until it's too late.
Just like the test subjects who 'only' moved the dial from 15 to 30 volts, and then to 45, then to 60, 75, 90, little steps. It's easy to justify incremental erosions. Because each time the damage is so slight we just don’t notice. Then like the participant who is asked to go from 405 volts and make the tiny step increase to 420, and the same increase to 435, that didn’t do any harm. Just one more step to 450.
It’s your job to enforce the small rules. Meetings start on time every time and you talk to the people that turn up late. When on-time attendance is the norm, people don’t skip the external meeting. Staff address the language that kids use every time. When we address the small stuff, we are also showing people where their attention should be. When we do this, there is no staff taking the newbie aside and saying, 'Ignore what they said; this is how we really do things.'
Most of your staff are professional and want to do a good job. Recognize them when they do the right thing and recognize them often. You set the staff culture by choosing what you celebrate. Decide what you want to be important and celebrate those things. Give all the staff without errors on their timesheets an award, and I guarantee you the mistakes and errors will go down. Want people to clean? Recognize the people that clean, and make sure it’s not just the people that do it when you are around. Your staff know who these people are; ask them to nominate each other for awards.
But you have a second job, and that’s to make sure that your rules make sense and that they are fair. Look at your dress code, in particular, your swimming dress code, and ask, 'Does this make sense?'
This is a much longer rant for another day. But do sweat the small stuff when it comes to your culture.
Clearly Communicate Expectations and Values: Establish a clear set of organizational values and communicate them effectively to all staff. This involves not just stating values but providing practical examples of what these values look like in action. For example, if caring is a value, show the ways staff can take care of campers, each other, equipment, and themselves.
Regular Feedback and Open Communication Channels: Implement a system for regular feedback, where camp staff can voice concerns, suggestions, and observations. This could be through anonymous surveys, open forums, or regular one-on-one meetings. Addressing issues early on can prevent small problems from becoming ingrained in the culture or help us see when our values and our actions are out of alignment.
Recognition and Reward Systems: Create a recognition system that aligns with your Camp values. For instance, if punctuality and meeting deadlines are valued, recognize and reward those who consistently meet these standards. This sets a precedent for others to follow.
Model Your Culture as You Want to See It: You and your Camp Leadership need to model the behavior you want to see in your team and in your campers. If a culture of respect and integrity is desired, leaders must demonstrate these qualities in their interactions. This includes everything from how they handle conflict to how they acknowledge their own mistakes.
Setting Clear Policies and Procedures: Have clear, written policies and procedures that outline acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. This ensures everyone is on the same page and knows what is expected of them.
Encouraging Innovation and Creativity: Foster a culture where new ideas are welcomed and encouraged. This can be achieved through brainstorming sessions, innovation challenges, or providing time and resources for employees to work on creative projects.
(The image we used is an AI generated on based on this post.)
