MODERN THINKING
seen as requiring time, effort, hard
work and risky because it may be
wrong. Overcoming our status quo
bias starts with checking in, are we
resisting simply because we don’t
like the idea? Promoting change
is about outlining clearly what’s in
it for all the stakeholders, being
transparent on what is expected
(to allay uncertainty) and creating
a clear framework that allows
everyone to keep track of where the
change is heading and to check in
the benefits (rewards) are visible
along the way.
where to start. Our bias here is that
we think it is our conscious thought
that matters more, whereas in
reality it is the mighty subconscious
that the majority of the brain’s work.
We all have the capacity for
creative thinking if we provide
the opportunity for our brain to
disconnect from our overburdened
conscious thought and allow our
minds to go for a little meander.
Which cognitive biases
do we need to be aware of
when it comes to boosting
innovation?
1. Confirmation Bias: The tendency
to search for, interpret, focus on
and remember information in a way
that confirms one’s preconceptions.
This form of bias is extremely
common. Our world-view is
derived from our perception of
what is real, based on our values
and beliefs. Once formed, we like
to seek confirmation of that, to
support us in the correctness of
that view.Unfortunately this can
lead to shutting out or dismissing
alternatives because they don’t fit in
with ours. The classic case of such
‘groupthink’ occurred in the Bay
of Pigs Fiasco, where JFK’s inner
circle closed ranks on how they
looked at a problem and failed to
see the risk of being closed off to
alternative views.
2. Functional fixatedness: This
limits a person to using an object
only in the way it is traditionally
used. When we have been trained
or educated to think in a certain
way, it then becomes much harder
to think ‘outside’ the box. The brain
loves patterns and seeks familiarity
of those. For example, what is a
brick used for? It may be used to
construct a wall but it might also be
a doorstop, a stepping stone or a
bed warmer. The book “101 uses for
a dead cat” was hugely popular not
because it was bought by cat haters
but because it was a wonderful
quirky nonsensical approach to
overcoming functional fixatedness.
3. Status Quo bias: Because the
brain hates uncertainty, which
is seen as a threat, we avoid it.
Moving away from the status quo
involves change and this can be
Innovation is becoming increasingly
important for companies to
distinguish themselves, to stay
relevant and ahead of the pack, but
our biases can hold us back. What
is needed is greater awareness of
how our biases play a role in our
thinking and to use our conscious
awareness to manoeuvre our
way around them. This includes
fostering a brain safe environment
where new ideas are encouraged
and captured and then discussed
openly without preconceived
judgment.
Dr. Jenny Brockis specialises in the
science of high performance thinking.
She is the author of Future Brain: The 12
Keys to Create Your High Performance
Brain (Wiley) www.drjennybrockis.com
March 2016
ModernBusiness
49