The Power of Tribal Instincts: Insights from Prof. Michael Morris’ Book

We are delighted to welcome Prof. Michael Morris to our podcast episode. In this episode, Prof. Michael Morris will delve into insights from his latest book, “Tribal: How the Primal Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together.” Tribalism is often blamed for today’s most pressing challenges, with critics arguing that an instinctive distrust of outsiders threatens our pluralistic institutions. However, renowned psychologist Prof. Michael Morris offers a different perspective. He contends that tribal psychology isn’t a recent resurgence - it has always been a defining part of who we are. From the earliest days of humanity, evolution shaped our minds to share knowledge within groups, using this collective wisdom to collaborate and build civilizations. Language, literature, and law - all of our greatest achievements - stem from our ability to view the world through the lens of shared culture. While unchecked cultural codes can fuel division and conflict, understanding these deep-seated instincts allows us to disrupt destructive cycles and channel them toward unity, cooperation, and meaningful social change. Far from being purely divisive, our tribal instincts can be a powerful force for collective progress. Prof. Michael Morris holds the Chavkin-Chang Professorship of Leadership at Columbia Business School and is also a Professor in Columbia University’s Psychology Department. A renowned educator, he teaches MBA and executive-level courses in leadership, teamwork, negotiation, communication, and decision-making, including the core MBA class, LEAD, and the innovative elective, The Leader’s Voice, which earned him the Dean’s Award for Curriculum Innovation in 2016. He is a leading expert in cultural psychology and decision-making, with over 200 publications in top behavioral science and management journals. His research spans cultural cognition, social networks, and negotiation, earning numerous international awards. At Columbia, he founded the Leadership Lab and Behavioral Lab to advance social intelligence and behavioral science research. He has served as an editor for major journals and previously held a tenured position at Stanford. He has also been a visiting professor at Harvard, INSEAD, and the University of Hong Kong. Prof. Morris holds a PhD from the University of Michigan and a BA from Brown University. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music used in this video is the property of its respective developer and is protected by Copyright. Although it is a free version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy and Deepak Bhatt do not hold the rights to this music. B. Prof. Michael Morris has generously shared profound insights from his book, “Tribal: How the Primal Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together,” during his appearance on the Business Talk Podcast Channel. The uploaded video contains copyrighted material; therefore, any modifications to graphics, music, or the presence of the author or host are strictly prohibited.