I came across the following article on my twitter feed:Why Organizations Don’t Learn. There are a few items that really resonated with me. The author tackles bias and how to handle the organization as a leader to avoid pitfalls.
According to the article there are 4 consequences of a bias toward success:
- Fear of failure
- A fixed mindset
- Over reliance toward past success
- Attribution bias
To me, the consequences of failure are the real sticking point. Without success, at some level, a venture will be short lived.
I really like the part that directs leaders in how to overcome the bias toward success:
- Destigmatize failure
- Embrace and teach a growth mindset
- Consider potential when hiring and promoting
- Use a data-driven approach to identify what caused success for failure
Next, there is the bias toward action, which means reaction. Here are the consequences of this bias:
- Exhaustion
- Lack of reflection
How do leaders help to overcome this bias:
- Build breaks into the schedule
- Take time just to think
- Encourage reflection after doing
Now, the consequences for a bias toward fitting In are addressed:
- Believing we need to conform
- Failure to use one’s strengths
How to address bias toward fitting in:
- Encourage people to cultivate their strengths
- Increase awareness and engage workers
- Model good behavior
Finally, there may be a bias toward experts with these consequences:
- An overly narrow view of expertise
- Inadequate front-line involvement
And how to address this bias in leadership:
- Encourage workers to own problems that affect them
- Give workers different types of experiences
- Empower workers to use their experience
Great article by Francesca Gino and Bradley Staats. I look forward to applying these principles.
