9 Cognitive Biases That Undermine How We Communicate
Our cognitive powers are essential to great leadership. Yet our brains also have their limitations. Bias is a major one. Cognitive biases are a kind of shortcut our brains take: a systemic pattern of deviation from the norm or rational judgement. It means we often overlook relevant information and causes us to operate from an idea we have of reality, rather than what is actually real. These biases interrupt our ability to communicate mindfully, which is a core component of Human Leadership.
As humans, biases have a function: they can help us deal with huge amounts of data and enable efficiency and quick thinking. However, bias also causes us to label, assume and judge - they make it impossible to be present and communicate with intention and compassion. Often, with harmful consequences for ourselves and others.
A study by Coqual revealed that:
Employees at large companies who perceive bias are nearly three times as likely (20% vs. 7%) to be disengaged at work.
Those who perceive bias are more than three times as likely (31% to 10%) to say that they’re planning to leave their current jobs within the year.
Those who perceive bias are 2.6 times more likely (34% to 13%) to say that they’ve withheld ideas and market solutions over the previous six months.
Here are nine examples of bias that impact how we communicate as Leaders.
Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency to pay attention to information that confirms what we already believe and avoid evidence to the contrary. It reduces the amount of information we feel we need to access to make decisions, and gives us an ego boost (‘See, I was right!’).
Groupthink
Also known as ‘herd mentality’ or the ‘bandwagon effect’, groupthink is the tendency to adopt a style, behaviour or opinion because others are expressing or demonstrating that style, behaviour or opinion. This can lead to voting a particular way, not voicing a dissenting view and not speaking up in the face of injustice.
Halo effect
The halo effect means the tendency for positive overall impressions of a person, company, brand or product in one area (‘she is nice!’ or ‘he is attractive!’) to positively influence our opinion or feelings in other areas (‘she is also smart!’ or ‘he is also a good leader!’). Physical appearance and power dynamics are major sources of the halo effect.
Anchoring bias
This occurs when we are overly influenced by the first piece of information we get - no matter how (un)reliable it is - and use it to compare against other information. For example, we grow up hearing a particular message about another race or gender. ‘Anchoring’ can happen among groups, as well as individuals.
The availability heuristic
Also known as the availability bias, this is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a topic, idea or decision. The classic example is the media: when we are frequently exposed to news reports on a particular topic, we tend to have an exaggerated belief in the likelihood of something similar happening to us.
The Ostrich effect
This happens when we avoid information we perceive as potentially uncomfortable or difficult. Like ostriches, we stick our heads in the sand, hoping the issue will go away. The ostrich effect often makes things worse, as we incur costs or damage we wouldn’t have if we’d dealt with the issue upfront.
Choice supportive bias
When we exhibit choice supportive bias, we remember our choices as better than they actually were and discount other options as poorer than they actually were. It’s a prevalent tactic to avoid buyer’s remorse and boosts our ego.
Fundamental attribution error
Fundamental attribution error is the tendency we have to under-emphasise situational and environment explanations for someone’s observed behaviour while over-emphasizing personality-based explanations. In other words, we ascribe their behaviour to who they are, not situational factors. This leads to unfair and incorrect judgements.
Illusory correlation bias
When illusory correlation happens, we see an association between two variables when there’s in fact no correlation. This can occur because we tend to view new or unusual information as being more salient. Illusory correlation is a major contributor to stereotyping. It’s related to confirmation bias and is another way of validating our fundamentally inaccurate beliefs.
Reflection:
How many of these biases do you recognize in yourself?
If there are some you don’t, is this strictly true, or is it perhaps difficult to recognise and admit?
