What do you do if your decision-making as a process designer is influenced by biases?

1 Recognize Bias

The first step in overcoming biases is to acknowledge their presence. As a process designer, you must take a step back and critically analyze your thought patterns and decision-making processes. Are there certain ideas or solutions you favor without sufficient evidence? Understanding the types of biases, such as confirmation bias where you only seek information that supports your existing beliefs, or anchoring bias where you rely too heavily on the first piece of information you receive, is crucial. By being aware of these tendencies, you can begin to challenge them and work towards more balanced decision-making.

2 Seek Feedback

In the realm of process design, seeking feedback from others can be a powerful tool to counteract your biases. By consulting with colleagues or stakeholders with diverse viewpoints, you can gain different perspectives on the process you're designing. This doesn't just mean listening to opinions that align with yours; it's about actively seeking out those who may disagree with you and understanding their reasoning. Engaging in constructive dialogue can help you to see the bigger picture and consider alternatives that you might have otherwise overlooked due to your biases.

3 Diversify Thinking

Diversification of thinking is essential in mitigating the influence of biases on your decision-making. This means exposing yourself to a broad range of ideas, disciplines, and cultures to challenge your usual thought patterns. For example, if you're used to a linear approach to process design, consider exploring iterative or agile methodologies. Attend conferences, read literature from different fields, and collaborate with professionals who have a different approach to problem-solving. The goal is to expand your cognitive toolkit so that your design decisions are informed by a rich tapestry of insights.

4 Implement Checks

Implementing checks and balances in your decision-making process is a practical way to reduce bias. This could involve setting up formal procedures for evaluating decisions, such as a checklist of criteria that must be met before a design is approved. You might also use decision-making frameworks or tools that prompt you to consider a variety of factors and potential outcomes. These systematic approaches help ensure that your decisions are not just based on gut feelings or unexamined assumptions but are the result of a deliberate and comprehensive analysis.

5 Reflect Continuously

Continuous reflection is a vital practice for any process designer seeking to minimize the impact of biases. After making a decision, take the time to reflect on how you arrived at that conclusion. Were there any points at which your biases might have influenced you? How did you address them? Keeping a decision-making journal can be particularly helpful for this purpose. It allows you to track your thought processes over time and identify patterns that may indicate bias, thereby facilitating more self-aware and objective decision-making in the future.

6 Adapt and Learn

Finally, adapting and learning from past decisions is integral to improving as a process designer. When a process you've designed doesn't yield the expected results, instead of becoming defensive, view it as an opportunity to learn. Analyze what went wrong and consider how biases may have played a role. Use these insights to refine your approach to process design. Remember that the goal is not to eliminate biases entirely, which is nearly impossible, but to manage and mitigate their effects through conscious effort and continuous improvement.