This worthwhile article gets one to consider the biases that happen when working over video. The setting is different, and we act/react in ways that take some shortcuts and impact our decision making.
Confirmation Bias – The belief in one’s own view. We search for data/information that supports our view.
Ways to counteract:
Ask colleagues to Individually evaluate the decision.
Gather all the data.
Get a Devil’s advocate.
Attribution Bias- The tendency to disproportionately attribute behavior of others to character traits rather than situational influences.
Ways to counteract:
Slow down. Reflect.
Consider: Have you been in that situation yourself.
Look for 3 explanations.
Group Think- Zoom has people quieter. Can’t talk over each other as easily.Meetings are domination by a few. Often the group is too homogeneous.
Ways to counteract:
Pick a small heterogeneous group.
Create room for independent thought. Use breaks.
Create breakout rooms for separate thought.
In-Group Effect- Video has sanitized meetings. We miss the group dynamic, the informal spontaneous interactions.
Ways to counteract:
Have meeting rituals. Encourage everyone to speak up/ update on latest goings on.
Do personal check ins.
Find ways to be creative in team building.
Peak End Effect – Most meetings are about results and don’t focus on the processes or methodology.
Ways to counteract:
Account for individual work preferences. Allow for greater flexibility in working hours.
Plan regular performance evaluations.
Actively inquire as to the path taken to reach specific results.
Read the article here for further insights from the authors.
Do you have any thoughts on these topics? Please leave a comment below