Truth or Illusion: The Illusory Effect At Work

Have you ever heard of the Illusory Effect[i]? I hadn’t until a friend shared a LinkedIn post with me from Berta Aldrich.[ii]?The Illusory Effect is the tendency for individuals to believe false information after repeated exposure to the lie. The repetitive narrative causes people to believe the statement is true because we tend to believe information that we hear repeatedly from various sources. We see this a lot in politics, but it is also prevalent in every area of our lives.?We hear things like Black men aren’t good fathers or are absent fathers or all Black women are angry.?The Illusory Effect is how stereotypes are born and why propaganda is effective.[iii]

Have you ever thought about how this plays out in corporate America? Consider this scenario: Sue and Stan are peers. Stan asks Sue for help on a project. She declines because she was behind on a project of her own and didn’t feel she could provide the time and attention it deserved. Stan then begins to share with anyone who will listen that Sue is difficult to work with and not a team player. A few months later, Sue is up for promotion and management seeks peer feedback from various people in the company. Multiple people state something along the lines of ‘she is great, but I hear she can be difficult and is not a team player’. Sue doesn’t get her promotion and is now known as a difficult person who is not collaborative.

Let’s dig into a few things in this scenario:

• But… - Even when Sue is given positive feedback, it is tainted with a negative caveat based on Stan’s interaction. After all, no one wants to work with someone who is difficult and not a team player.
• Bias – The full narrative is not shared. In this situation, Stan felt slighted but he never shares the many times Sue has provided assistance to him.
• Unawareness – Sue is unaware of how Stan feels or that he is sharing his feelings so openly.?This unawareness fails Sue because she is unable to defend herself or present her side of the story.
• Perception – Perception is everything. Sue was behind on her project and focused on the tasks in front of her. She probably wasn’t aware of how impactful her response was to Stan. She was merely focused on being a good employee.
• His, Hers & the truth – My Dad used to say there are three sides to every story – his, hers, and the truth. So, in fairness to Stan, this was a major blow to him.?He needed help. Sue declined to help and it had a major impact on his project.

The Illusionary Effect is real, and it disproportionately affects women and people of color. We can combat it by doing three things:

1. When you hear negative feedback, especially when it comes as a caveat to a positive statement, follow up by asking if the person has had first-hand experience.?For example, please share a situation where you personally experienced Sue being difficult or not a team player.
2. Follow-up with Sue – share with her the feedback that you have received and give her an opportunity to address it (#HisHersTruth).
3. Lastly, and probably most importantly, unless you have had firsthand knowledge of an action or a trait – stop sharing it.?Simply provide feedback on your interactions.

Now, if you are Stan – please remember the quote that says,

“poor planning on your part, does NOT constitute an emergency on my part.”

Not everyone has the time, space, or bandwidth to help you, just because you need help. A person prioritizing their needs is not a personal attack on you.

Before making a decision or a judgment on a person based on received feedback, ask yourself if you have an illusion problem. Then, dig deeper.

[i] https://www.optimisticlearner.com/repetition-and-truth-understanding-illusory-truth-effect/

[ii] https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/berta-aldrich_careers-conflict-leadership-activity-7009136898380029952-A5xm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

[iii] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/202001/illusory-truth-lies-and-political-propaganda-part-1