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  • Safety Leadership - Removing Cognitive Bias From Safety Decisions - Three Steps - 2014-09-29 - Safety+Health Magazine

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    Yusuf Iskandar
    32 vues2 pages
    Why do good leaders sometimes make bad decisions? The answer has to do with the remarkably complex human brain. Every day, the typical person makes between 2,000 and 10,000 decisions. Unable to cope with all the details of each choice, our brains use shortcuts called cognitive biases. Biases work by choosing based on what has worked before, thereby avoiding having to analyze the merits of an argument every time. While often helpful, cognitive biases can also lead to mistakes – with consequences ranging from the harmless (wearing mismatched clothes) to the catastrophic (allowing high­potential exposures to persist to the point of failure). If we can learn to spot our own biases, we can understand the impact they have on safety decision­ making. More important, we can adopt approaches to minimize them and support better decision­making throughout the organization.

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    Safety Leadership_ Removing cognitive bias from safety decisions_ Three steps _ 2014-09-29 _ Safety+Health Magazine

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    Why do good leaders sometimes make bad decisions? The answer has to do with the remarkably complex human brain. Every day, the typical person makes between 2,000 and 10,000 decisions. Unable to cope with all the details of each choice, our brains use shortcuts called cognitive biases. Biases work by choosing based on what has worked before, thereby avoiding having to analyze the merits of an argument every time. While often helpful, cognitive biases can also lead to mistakes – with consequences ranging from the harmless (wearing mismatched clothes) to the catastrophic (allowing high­potential exposures to persist to the point of failure). If we can learn to spot our own biases, we can understand the impact they have on safety decision­ making. More important, we can adopt approaches to minimize them and support better decision­making throughout the organization.

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    32 vues2 pages

    Safety Leadership - Removing Cognitive Bias From Safety Decisions - Three Steps - 2014-09-29 - Safety+Health Magazine

    Transféré par

    Yusuf Iskandar
    Why do good leaders sometimes make bad decisions? The answer has to do with the remarkably complex human brain. Every day, the typical person makes between 2,000 and 10,000 decisions. Unable to cope with all the details of each choice, our brains use shortcuts called cognitive biases. Biases work by choosing based on what has worked before, thereby avoiding having to analyze the merits of an argument every time. While often helpful, cognitive biases can also lead to mistakes – with consequences ranging from the harmless (wearing mismatched clothes) to the catastrophic (allowing high­potential exposures to persist to the point of failure). If we can learn to spot our own biases, we can understand the impact they have on safety decision­ making. More important, we can adopt approaches to minimize them and support better decision­making throughout the organization.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Téléchargez comme PDF, TXT ou lisez en ligne sur Scribd
    Signaler comme contenu inapproprié
    sur 2

    11/27/2014

    SafetyLeadership:Removingcognitivebiasfromsafetydecisions:Threesteps|20140929|Safety+HealthMagazine

    Home

    SafetyLeadership:Removingcognitivebiasfrom
    safetydecisions:Threesteps
    SebBlair
    September28,2014
    EditorsNote:Achievingandsustaininganinjuryfreeworkplacedemandsstrongleadership.Throughout2014,experts
    fromOjai,CAbasedconsultingfirmBSTwillsharetheirpointofviewonwhatleadersneedtoknowtoguidetheir
    organizationstosafetyexcellence.

    Whydogoodleaderssometimesmakebaddecisions?Theanswerhastodowiththeremarkably
    complexhumanbrain.Everyday,thetypicalpersonmakesbetween2,000and10,000decisions.Unable
    tocopewithallthedetailsofeachchoice,ourbrainsuseshortcutscalledcognitivebiases.Biaseswork
    bychoosingbasedonwhathasworkedbefore,therebyavoidinghavingtoanalyzethemeritsofan
    argumenteverytime.Whileoftenhelpful,cognitivebiasescanalsoleadtomistakeswithconsequences
    rangingfromtheharmless(wearingmismatchedclothes)tothecatastrophic(allowinghighpotential
    exposurestopersisttothepointoffailure).
    Ifwecanlearntospotourownbiases,wecanunderstandtheimpacttheyhaveonsafetydecision
    making.Moreimportant,wecanadoptapproachestominimizethemandsupportbetterdecisionmaking
    throughouttheorganization.

    Overcomingcognitivebias
    Thecognitivebiaseffectcanbecharacterizedasthetendencytomakedecisionsortakeactionsbasedon
    limitedacquisitionand/orflawedprocessingofinformation,selfinterest,overconfidence,orattachment
    topastexperience.Amongthemostcommontypesofcognitivebiasesareconfirmationbias(favoring
    informationthatconfirmsourpreconceptions),ingroupbias(theperceptionthatyourteamalonehasthe
    rightanswers),recencybias(ignoringimportantdataforthemostrecentinformation)andthehaloeffect
    (allowingoverallimpressionsofpeopletoinfluenceunrelateddecisionsaboutthemandtheirabilities).
    Herearethreestepsyoucantaketohelpovercomebiasesinyourselfandyourteam:
    1. Raiseawareness.BiasesareetchedintoourDNA.Knowingthattheyexistandcandistortour
    thinkingwillhelplessentheirimpact.Postshortarticlesonnoticeboardsandinnewsletters.
    Educatesafetyandsteeringcommitteesonthetopfivebiaseswithoutboringthemwithlengthy,
    academicdescriptions.Presentrelevant,engagingscenariosthatarelikelytotriggerbiasessuch
    asdisregardingnearmisses(nothingbadhappenedlasttime,soitwontthenext).Theobjective
    istoencouragehealthydiscussion.
    2. Encourageinquiryanddissentingvoices.Wewantpeopletospeakupaboutsafety,andthereare
    manywaystosurfaceconcerns(suchasnearmissreporting,cardsystemsorsharingconcernswith
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    SafetyLeadership:Removingcognitivebiasfromsafetydecisions:Threesteps|20140929|Safety+HealthMagazine

    directsupervisors).Thispracticeneedstobedeeplyrootedinteamandcompanyculture.For
    example,attheseniormanagerlevel,choosesomeone(inadvance)atameetingtoargueagainst
    thepropositionbeingdiscussed.Evenifheorsheisinfavorofthedecision,theymustplaydevils
    advocate.Thisencouragespeopletoproactivelyofferopposingviewsandchallengeconventional
    wisdom.
    3. Promotecollaboration.Itseasiertoseebiasesinothersthantoseetheminourselves.
    Cooperationbreaksdownbarriersandexposesentrenchedviews(thisisthewaywedothings
    aroundhere).Whatmechanismsdoyouhaveinplaceforsharingideasandworkingoninitiatives
    acrossdepartments?Couldyouadapttoolboxtalks,safetymeetingsortownhallmeetingsto
    enablecolleaguestorecognizethecharacteristicsanddangersofcognitivebiases?

    Betterdecisionssavelives
    Ourbrainstakeshortcutstohelpusthroughtheday.Itshumannaturetomakethepredictablemistakes
    definedbycognitivebiases.Wecanidentifyandminimizethem,butweneedbetterstrategiesthan
    simplysaying,Iwillchangethis.Itsthetaskofeverysafetyleadertoidentifyandunderstandhisor
    herkeythinkingexposures.Raisingawarenessaboutthemwillhelpusmakebetterdecisions.Startby
    sharingthisarticlewithacolleague.Doitnowratherthantomorrow.Dontfallintothetrapofputtingit
    onatodolist.Afterall,thelongerwewaittoaddressexposurescreatedbycognitivebiases,thelonger
    ourcolleaguesremainatrisk.
    SebBlairisanexecutiveconsultantwithglobalsafetyconsultingfirmBST.Basedinthe
    UnitedKingdom,Blairspecializesinsafetyleadership,helpingorganizationalleadersin
    Europeandbeyondleadimprovementefforts.

    ThisarticlerepresentstheviewsoftheauthorandshouldnotbeconstruedasaNationalSafetyCouncilendorsement.
    DIRECTTOYOURINBOX
    SignuptobenotifiedbyemailaboutnewSafetyLeadershipcolumns.

    SebBlair
    SebBlairisanexecutiveconsultantwithglobalsafetyfirmBST(www.bstsolutions.com).Basedinthe
    UnitedKingdom,Blairspecializesinsafetyleadership,helpingorganizationalleadersinEuropeand
    beyondleadimprovementefforts.

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