Don't Fall Prey to Observer-Expectancy Bias: How Your Employee Investigations Could Be Providing False Results and your coaching can be ineffective.

Science has new revelations that give us insight into human behavior and perception. Observer expectancy bias is no different. There have been multiple studies and experiments published around it, so it is pretty well documented. For some unknown reason, we do not talk about it nor teach it too often.

What is it, why is it important to be aware of it, and, most importantly, what can we do to decrease its influence on our HR investigations and decisions? What can we do to be more effective as coaches and why this particular bias can make coaching ineffective?

It is no secret that we all have biases that touch on race, gender, behavior, religion, etc. If you have not, I invite you to discover yours at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatestv2.html. I believe that the first step to change is knowing. You can see where you do have bias and explore how that influences your decisions. But that's just a side note.

Back to the expectancy bias. Why is it so important that we are aware of its existence and how can it change our world?

To put it in simple terms, expectation bias is your belief system. Whatever you believe, you will perceive life and the interactions you have through that filter. Let's assume you believe that people with blue eyes are dangerous to society. When you encounter that person, you will be in a protective mode as they, in your mind, pose a threat. And that might be something you already knew. What you don't realize is that you will interpret a lot, if not most, of the behaviors of the person with blue eyes as hostile, aggressive, threatening, or just creating discomfort. You will be convinced that their behavior is clear proof of the fact that they are a blue-eyed threat to society and you.

I'm going to refer to an article published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1980, Vol 39, No 5, 861-873. The authors looked at 4 experiments that were conducted at different times with different contextual factors, and different experimental manipulations were used. What were the experiments about and how did they work?

In all of the experiments, people (women) were the subjects that took part. All of them were informed that they are taking part in an experiment and to be mindful of the different social interactions they will take part in. The subjects were told that they are going either to have epilepsy, allergies, or a facial scar. Those who had a medical issue filled in a questionnaire, and in the back, they had to mark their epilepsy or allergies. The subjects were informed that the person who will be talking to them is aware of the illness. For subjects that had the scar, they were modified, the scar was put on their face, and then they saw themselves in the mirror. Before they left, they were told that the scar needs a touch-up, when in reality, it was taken off. The last image that the subjects had was the scar on their face. In all four experiments, subjects were convinced that the person talking with them knows or sees their disability or illness. And in all four experiments, the other subject was unaware that the person they spoke to had allergies or epilepsy, and they did not see the scar as it was removed before the subject left the experiment's room. After 6-15 minutes of conversation, those who thought they had the illness or facial scar were asked to rate the interaction with the other person. Interestingly enough, in all cases, no matter the scale, all subjects reported gazing, a high level of tenseness, a degree of perceived patronization, and an amount of liking of the subject as a person. Every time, the results were similar - people believed they were treated differently because of their illness or scar, and they all reported gazing. In other words, they felt discriminated against or that they were treated differently, and their belief was that it was because of the illness or the scar. It is worth noting that this did not come out the same for subjects that were told that they have allergies, as it is not perceived as a negative trait in society. So those with allergies were not experiencing the discomfort as those who "had" a scar or epilepsy. It is important to mention that those interactions were recorded and shown to be independent and not aware of the experiment judges. They were asked to assess the interactions that were recorded. They have not observed gazing, patronization, etc.

Why is that important?

Because every one of us has an expectancy bias that derives from our beliefs, and those beliefs shape how we perceive someone's behavior and reality. So that comes into play with our employee complaints and investigations. If there is a belief that people of color are angry or unpleasant, the receiver of communication having that belief will interpret things in such a way that it will confirm their bias, and they will do that subconsciously. They are not aware they are doing it. If a person of color believes that white people just have more chances in life, they will perceive behaviors and interactions in such a way that it will reassure them of their belief. If I, as an epileptic, would believe that due to my condition, people perceive me as less intelligent, I would subconsciously interpret what I hear and see as such. (Side note: I do not believe that this is the general perception of people with epilepsy.)

We all have them, and most of us have never been taught how to recognize them. Our beliefs are formed before we are even aware of them. Now ask yourself, if that is the case, how can you build awareness within the organization? How did it influence communication and working relationships and culture? How many of the complaints and investigations could have been avoided or dealt with differently if our coworkers and employees would be aware of that bias? As we speak about sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, it would be of great benefit for every employer to provide courses and short training on bias awareness so we can help develop skills that can prevent numerous misunderstandings and claims that seem to be present in every work environment. It is also true that the employer should not be responsible for the inner development of their employees, yet this knowledge, despite our belief, is not widely available, and the topic is rarely brought up. To put it simply, it can be of great benefit for companies to introduce bias awareness training during onboarding and later during meetings and training. With time, it can decrease the number of claims, misunderstandings, and investigations.

If you are a coach, this is even more important, as we often work on our own beliefs as well as our clients' belief systems. In my opinion, this is a key component of any coach's work, as, without it, real change in perception cannot be achieved. As a result, clients may become dysfunctional due to the dissonance caused by behaviors that are not integrated into their personalities or brains, but rather imposed by old, unreformed belief systems. Neuroencoding of new belief systems is crucial in creating permanent change, which is why clients need to complete the assigned homework to create a stacking effect.

This awareness of bias is also crucial in the work of police officers, attorneys, and prosecutors. It is important for them to be aware of their own biases as well as the biases of victims and offenders. Judges who rule based solely on the information provided often do not take into account these biases or the context of the situation. I understand that discovering one's own biases is not easy, but even making an attempt to do so can shift how we perceive things and how we handle rulings, judgments, and convictions.

I hope I have triggered some thoughts and evoked a reaction that led you to go into an internal dialogue. Was it a bias that created the perception of what you just read or was it factual?

Who am I?

Mgr. Dominika Staniewicz is a Licensed Elite Neuroencoding Specialist, Brain Coach, and Holistic Life Coach with over two decades of experience in business, government, higher education, and Human resources management. Her extensive expertise allows her to provide invaluable insights, guidance, and support to groups, organizations, and individuals, empowering them to thrive in both their personal and professional lives. Dominika's holistic approach helps clients unlock their full potential, achieve their goals, and lead fulfilling lives in both business and beyond. #humanresourcesmanagement #investigations #managment #coaching #bias #perception #managment #leadership #onboarding #employeecoaching