These two biases are messing with your decisions
Why are these biases interesting? Because they impact the decisions you make at work (and everywhere).
I don't know about you, but when I hear there's something messing with my brain I want to understand it.
There's two biases in particular that I think are interesting in corporate, so here's my take on them
1) group think
2) confirmation bias.
Group think happens so subtly we often don't notice it's happening.
Have you ever been at a Board meeting with a packed agenda, lots of papers to sign off and a limited time to do it? Yep that's most of us.
Towards the end of the agenda when time is short, all it takes is for the Chair to say 'I've taken a look and I'm comfortable with this paper, all agree?'. And there's often a unanimous yes.
This kind of comment doesn't invite debate or challenge. Even if you were intending to make a point on this particular paper, the phrasing they've used could put you off.
This is commonly how group think happens. It can also happen when you like the people you're with. In order to be liked and stay 'in the tribe', we tend to seek agreement.
How to counter this? Be prepared with points you consider to be 'non negotiable' and raise them regardless of time and/ or other pressures. If you're the Chairperson also ask an open question like 'Lets hear any objections or supportive views on this'.
Secondly, confirmation bias. This is where we actively seek out evidence that supports our opinion. And again, we often lack the self-awareness that we're doing this.
A good example would be where we've had a smart idea and are making a change to a product/ service. We become attached to the idea and naturally look for the positive arguments in it's favour and collect other supporters.
When the idea becomes our main focus we can lose our objectivity. Our brain (specifically the RAS - Reticular Activating System) is so focussed on the thing we've told it to focus on (a positive outcome for our product) that it is no longer actively looking for dissenting information.
How to counter this? Get perspectives from other people. Before you become attached to a particular outcome gather all the information so you can filter through it. Ask yourself 'what am I not seeing here?'
I hope raising awareness of these biases helps you look at your upcoming decisions with a dose of healthy challenge. Interested to hear your reflections.
P.S. In short, we have natural biases that impact our decision making. Being aware of them means we can wrest some control back from our social and psychological programming to help us achieve the best outcomes.
