MODERN THINKING
Overcoming cognitive bias
for greater innovation
By Jenny Brockis
W
e need new ideas! “We
want our staff to be
more innovative!” These
are just a couple of the common
catch cries being repeatedly heard
in a world desperately trying to
keep up with the flurry of rapid
technological and societal change
in order to stay relevant and at the
leading edge. What stops us from
being innovative includes failing
to recognise the importance of
creating the right environment. But
it’s more than just brightly coloured
bean bags and funky mood
lighting, it’s about acknowledging
the presence of bias. It can be
somewhat confronting to realise
that despite having what we think
is an open mind, our biases both
conscious and subconscious
influence all our thoughts and
decisions.
What is cognitive bias?
Cognitive bias occurs when we
draw conclusions and make
assumptions based on cognitive
factors rather than the evidence
before us. We like to think that we
are rational creatures who weigh up
all the evidence before pronouncing
our verdict, but this is not the case.
As Dan Ariely author of Predictably
Irrational describes, “We think
of ourselves as in the driver’s
seat, with ultimate control of the
decisions we make – but, alas this
48 ModernBusiness
March 2016
perception has more to do with our
desires – than with reality.”
Why are we so biased?
The brain’s primary function is to
keep us safe. It is also inherently
lazy, it will do almost anything to
save energy, so we create patterns
of behaviour and thinking – those
habits that allow us to operate
on autopilot at a subconscious
level rather than consuming lots
of energy for conscious thought.
When faced with something new or
different, our brain alerts us to the
fact that our regular patterns have
been disturbed. It then responds
in one of two ways, either driving
us towards the new situation or
pushing us away from what could
be possibly dangerous.Because
the brain operates at the level of
“Safety First!” the default response
is – “Assume anything new is
potentially dangerous, so move
away.”
At an evolutionary level this was
very helpful. It kept more of us safe
from being a sabre tooth tiger’s
breakfast. But today a negativity
bias can work against us where
new ideas are called for, but then
challenged, dismissed or worse still
ridiculed. Mark worked in a national
firm that had been operating for
75 years. He got on well with his
immediate boss, but felt frustrated
by the attitude of “this is the way
we do things.” He could see the
opportunity for improvement in
several areas in his department
but attempts to discuss with with
his manager were stymied at every
turn. Frustrated, he attempted
to speak to his manager’s boss
who while sympathetic, made it
clear that Mark was doing himself
no favours by trying to take his
ideas to a higher level without the
blessing of his immediate manager.
The firm lost an innovative
employee who had only wanted
to make the system work better.
How many companies are missing
out on innovative and creative
ideas because individuals are not
afforded a voice? The key is to
promote an atmosphere of enquiry;
where the norm is to question
(without fear of judgment or
penalty) and to explore possible
ways to improve a given way of
‘doing.’
Innovation has two potential
paths.
When it comes to solving problems
the brain can use either logic and
reasoning, or insight. What is
remarkable is that our clever brain
determines which method will have
the greatest chance of success long
before we have even determined