Breaking Bias - NeuroLeadership Journal - 2014 VOLUME 5
Cognitive biases, the unconscious drivers that influence our judgment and decision-making, are a pervasive issue in organizations. Individuals are notoriously poor at recognizing and controlling their own biases – in fact, our brains are wired to promote fast, efficient information processing. This can be highly adaptive, yet can also be detrimental in certain circumstances, such as making unbiased decisions about who to hire or promote, where to allocate resources, and what information to prioritize in decision-making. This report presents a framework that lays out the three steps organizations should follow to “break bias”:
- ACCEPT that we are biased,
- LABEL biases using four main categories detailed in our easy-to-remember, comprehensive COST™ model (i.e., corner-cutting, objectivism, self-protection, and time and money biases), and
- MITIGATE bias according to specific strategies targeting the neurobiological mechanisms associated with each category of bias. Specific examples illustrate each of the four major categories of bias according to the COST™ model, highlighting the influence of cognitive bias in organizations and strategies we believe will be useful in combating their negative effects.
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