#74: Perceptual errors at work
People don’t behave according to strategies and instructions; instead, they act on their perceptions. And yet, many managers ignore the power of perceptions and fail to manage perceptual errors. Perceptual errors are mistakes we make in interpreting reality and lead to ineffective responses and inappropriate behavior.
What causes these errors? Mental laziness. We all do the minimum amount of mental work we think necessary. For example, to deal with the information overload, we use mental short-cuts and simple decision-making rules to quickly make deductions and draw conclusions. The problem with using mental short-cuts is that we make up our minds without considering all relevant information. No wonder we misinterpret reality!
In my work, I see first-hand the impact of perceptual errors on team effectiveness. So, over the coming Saturdays, I will discuss a few common perceptual errors to watch out for.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
What causes these errors? Mental laziness. We all do the minimum amount of mental work we think necessary. For example, to deal with the information overload, we use mental short-cuts and simple decision-making rules to quickly make deductions and draw conclusions. The problem with using mental short-cuts is that we make up our minds without considering all relevant information. No wonder we misinterpret reality!
In my work, I see first-hand the impact of perceptual errors on team effectiveness. So, over the coming Saturdays, I will discuss a few common perceptual errors to watch out for.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
8:18 AM
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