Supportive Feedback

Johari Window

Opening up

Feedback

I can learn more about my blind area

I can expose and share the hidden area
I can explore my area of unknown activity
Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham

Cognitive biases are psychological phenomena

that distort our perceptions, memory, or
judgment. When success depends on accurate
perception, evaluation, or recollection of what's
around us, distortions can lead to erroneous
results
that
range
from
harmless
to
catastrophic.

1. Fundamental attribution error

2. Self-serving bias
3. Halo effect
4. False consensus bias
5. Cognitive dissonance
6. Projection
7. Confirmation bias
8. In group
9. Out group bias

1.Fundamental attribution error: The relative

contributions to behavior of situational and dispositional
factors, and
their distinction is the defining feature of attribution theory.
People may make inferences about the dispositions of others
even when situational forces explain the behavior quite nicely.
In other words when it comes to other people, we tend to
attribute causes of unfavourable outcomes to internal factors
such as personality characteristics and ignore or minimize
external variables.

2. A self-serving bias is any cognitive or

perceptual process that is distorted by the need to
maintain and enhance self-esteem.
When
individuals reject the validity of negative feedback,
focus on their strengths and achievements but
overlook their faults and failures, or take more
responsibility for their groups work than they give to
other members, they are protecting the ego from
threat and injury.

3. The Halo Effect is a cognitive bias that causes our

evaluation of people, concepts, or objects to be influenced
by our perceptions of one attribute of those people,
concepts, or objects.
Status affects persuasiveness
Assessments of the validity of someone's assertions
can be affected by our perception of her or his status.
Hat hanging
The name evokes the idea that we hang the hat of
someone from our past on someone in our present.

4. False Consensus Bias: refers to the tendency of people to

overestimate the level to which other people share their beliefs,
attitudes, and behaviors.

5.Cognitive Dissonance: Dissonance and consonance are

relations among cognitions that is, among opinions, beliefs,
knowledge of the environment, and knowledge of one's own
actions and feelings. Two opinions, or beliefs, or items of
knowledge are dissonant with each other if they do not fit
together; that is, if they are inconsistent, or if, considering
only the particular two items, one does not follow from the
other (Festinger 1956: 2)
There are three ways to deal with cognitive dissonance.
6.One may try to change one or more of the beliefs, opinions, or
behaviors involved in the dissonance;
2.One may try to acquire new information or beliefs that will
increase the existing consonance and thus cause the total
dissonance to be reduced; or,
3.One may try to forget or reduce the importance of those
cognitions that are in a dissonant relationship

6. Projection Bias: The tendency to unconsciously

assume that others (or one's future selves) share one's
current emotional states, thoughts and values
Complementary projectionis assuming that others do,
think and feel in the same way as you. Thus we see
our friends as being more like us than they really are.
Complimentary projectionis assuming that others can
do things as well as you.
7. Confirmation bias: One selectively gathers, or gives
undue weight to, evidence that supports one's position while
neglecting to gather, or discounting, evidence that would tell
against it.
This gets manifested in two ways: building a case
consciously and deliberately and engaging in case-building
without being aware of doing so.
Restriction of attention to a favored hypothesis.
Preferential treatment of evidence supporting existing
beliefs.
Selective memory

Effective Feedback

Focus on behavior
Frequent
Timely
Specific- give examples
Talk about repercussions of that behavior and way forward
Dont restrictively frame the feedback. Restricted feedback
is narrow, binary and frozen

Giving and
receiving
feedback is
personal and
can be charged
with high levels
of emotions for
both- giver and
receiver

We avoid feedback
because of
self serving and actorobserver bias
Inaccurate positive selfperceptions
Accepting critiques
undermines their self efficacy
and self esteem

Flawed Feedback
1. Attacks the Person Rather
Than the Persons Behavior
2. Vague or Abstract Assertions
3. Without illustrations
4. Ill-defined context and range
of application
5. Unclear impact and
information regarding
remedial actions or
behavioural changes desired
6. False consensus bias

Cannon, M.D., & Witherspoon, R. (2005). Actionable feedback: Unlocking the power of learning and performance
improvement. Academy of Management Executive, 2005, 19 (2): 120-134