Slow Leap… Because we Like to Plunge In
A common human tendency, one we are mostly unaware of, is to make decisions quickly without spending much time understanding the problem. It is called the plunging-in decision trap or cognitive bias [1,2]. Plunging-in is manifested in several ways. One, we often assume we understand the problem and move on to the tasks required to solve it. This is especially likely under time pressure or in emotional circumstances. Two, we take the problem as given to us and don’t question its validity. We assume the way it has been stated is correct and complete. Three, we use a broad label or keyword (e.g., turnaround, growth) to describe a problem rather than a story that captures its essential contours that make it different. For example, while Apple and movie studio Paramount both face declining sales, the contours of the problem are different for each. Due to these tendencies, important aspects of problems are missed and they are solved inadequately. At times, the wrong problem gets solved.
Cognitive biases can lead to poor decision outcomes. In familiar situations, plunging-in may not do much harm. We are likely to make a decision similar to ones we have made before because the situation is similar. But if a familiar situation has changed and we don’t notice it, we can end up with poor results. The risk of poor outcomes rises greatly if the situation is novel or unfamiliar – we may not recognize it to be so or may dismiss its importance. Even if we recognize a situation as being unfamiliar, we may not know how to make sense of it. Without proper understanding, decisions will lead to sub-par results.
We are all susceptible to cognitive biases, as Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two academic psychologists discovered. They had begun to puzzle over why we so often do not make decisions in the rational manner textbooks prescribed. Their experiments showed that we are all prone to making certain errors systematically (biases) and to take mental shortcuts (heuristics) in our thinking. It causes us to make choices that can lead to poor outcomes. Kahneman and Tversky proposed that the human mind can be seen as operating in one of two modes. There is System 1, which is subconscious; involves quick or reflexive decision making; where intuition, impulse, and emotions dominate. In contrast, System 2 is conscious, deliberate, slow; based on reason, logic, rationality. The two systems inspired the title of Kahneman’s bestseller Thinking, Fast and Slow. Their pioneering research and mind-bending findings attracted hordes of researchers and spawned the field of behavioral decision making which has been influential in disciplines as varied as business, economics, medicine, government policy, public health, psychology, political science, and others. Kahneman was awarded the economics Nobel Prize in 2002. Tversky had passed away by then otherwise he would have shared it.
There are ways to counteract cognitive biases. The slow, deliberate System 2 is an antidote to the fast, reflexive System 1. A lot has been written on various cognitive biases and how to overcome them. Yet, almost nothing has been written about the plunging-in bias. After its introduction in a 1989 book by Russo and Schoemaker [1], there was little follow-up research on it. With minimal research and writing on it, there is little awareness of the bias. Its prevalence, however, is wide. A trio of researchers from MIT and Harvard Medical School recently called problem formulation the “single most underrated skill in all of management practice” [3].
The Slow Leap website has ideas on how to avoid falling into the plunging-in trap [2]. The term slow is homage to Kahneman and Tversky’s System 2. Plunging is about falling steeply; it is about descent. Leap is moving forward. Ideas, concepts, and frameworks that help you leap forward deliberately, thoughtfully are presented on this website. Ideas that stand alone can be found by scrolling down the main page. Ideas that are cumulative are in chapters reached with the navigation panel at the top of the website.
REFERENCES
[1] Russo, E. J., & Schoemaker, P. J. H. (1989). Decision Traps: The Ten Barriers to Brilliant Decision-Making and How to Overcome Them. New York: Simon & Schuster.
[2] Bhardwaj, G., Crocker, A., Sims, J., & Wang, R. (2018). “Alleviating the plunging-in bias, elevating strategic problem solving,” Academy of Management Learning & Education, v.17, no.3, pp. 279-301.
[3] Repenning, N. P., Kieffer, D., & Astor, T. 2017. The most underrated skill in management. MIT Sloan Management Review, 58(3): 39-48.
For related ideas, read Why this Site? (See “About” in the navigation panel above.)
Copyright 2019 Gaurab Bhardwaj