CRITICAL THINKING SERIES NO. 31 – APPLY CRITICAL THINKING TO ADDRESS COGNITIVE DISSONANCE -
Brad Hagemann
Process and Tools Leader, Program Manager, Continuous Improvement Specialist, University Evangelist - The views expressed are those by me and me alone, and are not associated with the views of present or past employers.
What is “Cognitive Dissonance”? Cognitive Dissonance is a very common mental conflict people feel when they realize their cognitions (feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, etc.) are inconsistent or contradictory to their actions. For example, Cognitive Dissonance occurs when you’re on a diet yet you eat a donut. Your cognitions say, “I’m committed to reducing ?calories to lose weight.” You action was to eat a donut. Now you have psychological conflict. “I‘m cutting my caloric intake” is the opposite of “I just ate a high-calorie donut.” The human psyche is uncomfortable with this conflict, so people typically either change their cognitions (say, rationalization – it was just ONE donut”) or they change their actions (“I’m going on a 20-minute walk to work off the calories), in order to address the contradiction and stress.
Critical Thinking helps people address Cognitive Dissonance, especially if applied before an action is taken, to help cognitions and actions remain in balance. There are many cases of Cognitive Dissonance in the work environment, and awareness of the basis of your own feelings and values before taking action can reduce psychological stress (and help one make better decisions.)
What are some examples of cognitive dissonance in the workplace?
-????? When open and candid communication is presented as a core company value, and yet senior management doesn’t respond to employee questions authentically and transparently, or there is suppression of “questions not to ask.”
-????? When innovation is touted as a critical need of the company, and then innovative ideas are shut down because they challenge “We’ve always done things this way.”
-????? When the company prioritizes a “learning environment”, and yet learning opportunities are limited, courses are minimal, and there are no funds or paths for external courses or training.
-????? When leadership endorses Safety first, then Quality, then Cost, then Delivery (S-Q-D-C), and yet employees see actions taken where Cost is prioritized over Quality and Delivery.
-????? HR advertises a strong integrity policy with Respect For People and psychological safety. Yet bullies and leaders with overbearing behaviors are not removed from their roles.
-????? A company-wide LEAN effort is launched, and yet LEAN methods are applied to drive cost savings and staff reductions, both clear violations of LEAN philosophy.
What’s the outcome when employees witness or experience these conflicts between “say” and “do” at the company?
-????? Increase stress, anxiety, or inner turmoil
-????? Confusion
-????? Frustration and possibly anger
-????? Disengagement, avoidance, and shutdown
-????? Higher attrition
-????? Decreased job satisfaction
-????? Lower morale
Cognitive dissonance doesn’t just occur at the leadership level. It also frequently occurs among peers and familiar colleagues, where they suddenly behave or react differently than how you would expect. How do you know how to react?
Use Critical Thinking to address the stresses and confusion that comes from Cognitive Dissonance at the workplace. Analyzing the situation in terms of Assumptions Challenging and Bias Analysis can help. If one understands the reasons behind someone’s behavior, they’re in a better position to (hopefully) confront the person about their behavior (in a non-threatening way), or at least recognize that the source of the conflict is in the other person, and not themselves.
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Assumptions Challenging:
-????? Why is this person taking this action or making this statement? Is there something they may be aware of that I’m not?
-????? Have I collected all the information to make a valid judgement?
-????? Am I examining this situation emotionally or with objective logic and reason?
-????? How well do I know about the person taking the conflicting action? Is there something going on I’m not aware of?
-????? Has something changed in the business strategy, or was there some external event I’m not aware of?
-????? Am I following popular opinion among my peers?
Bias Analysis:
-????? AFFECT HEURISTIC – Tendency to make decisions on strong emotions, not on objective data.
-????? ANCHORING BIAS – Am I allowing the first piece of data received to set the baseline for a belief or assessment?
-????? BANDWAGON EFFECT – People are more likely to believe something is true of others around us also believe it’s true.
-????? OSTRICH EFFECT – Tendency to go to extremes to avoid negative information or data that is likely to contradict or challenge our assumptions.
-????? STATUS QUO BIAS – Tendency to prefer things remain as they are
Now, after objectively examining the situation, you may find there is a legitimate reason that will negative your cognitive conflict. And thus, mentally, allow you to restore balance to your emotions, feelings, and actions.
However, sometimes there is a legitimate reason for those Cognitive Dissonance warning bells to be ringing in your head. Maybe the environment really is toxic? Maybe that manager really is a bully, or apathetic, or elitist? Maybe what is promoted on the company posters isn’t really how management behaves?
At this point you must make a decision as to how to proceed to avoid continued internal conflict and re-establish cognitive order. Do you voice your concern to the person? Do you lodge an ethics complaint? Do you change to a different role or department? Do you decide to leave the company?
Continued cognitive dissonance doesn’t just create mental stress, but that stress can result in negative physical impacts as well. Inability to sleep. Overeating. Excess drinking. Higher blood pressure.
Critical Thinking drives awareness of Cognitive Dissonance and it’s causes, the ability to determine if the dissonance is real or not, and determining resolution actions to take. Maintaining a positive attitude, reduced stress and anxiety, and overall personal wellness help drive a more cohesive, effective, and productive work environment.
Strategic Partnerships @ Stan | Ex-Pro Athlete | Startup Leader & Public Co. Chief of Staff | Coach for Leaders Going from 'Good Enough' to Exceptional
2 个月Critical thinking is a game changer. It’s all about embracing the discomfort of cognitive dissonance. Growth happens when we challenge our beliefs and respect others in the process.
Transcending the unthinkable, I help leaders & organisations thrive in uncertainty, complexity and increasing conflict.
2 个月I *love* this.
Former Operations & Manufacturing Executive
2 个月Isn't it interesting that in the course of our human history, progress was founded on a quest for knowledge and understanding, and, evidenced by the quality of the debate and the passion of the debaters. So if we look at our society today, we see that debate is replaced by vitriol, that blocking out opposing views is good and that many are chronically offended. And when we study the course of our human history, we find that the decay of so many civilisations, and the death of eras enlightenment were preceded by similar traits... Our education systems have systematically eradicated abstract thinking and reasoning, and made history a "dead subject", or worse, re-written it to suit the very mindsets that have failed to learn from it. We are in the dangerous phase of conscious mediocrity, one that true history has shown to be numbingly comfortable and hence facilitated intellectual decay..
Strategic Partnerships @ Stan | Ex-Pro Athlete | Startup Leader & Public Co. Chief of Staff | Coach for Leaders Going from 'Good Enough' to Exceptional
2 个月Critical thinking is like a muscle; the more you train it, the stronger it gets. Embracing cognitive dissonance can lead to innovative breakthroughs. Let’s keep pushing boundaries together.
CI Champion - Craftsman
2 个月Learning that what you believed to be true is not, and adapting to the truth, is very difficult. It is hard to admit you were wrong for so long.