Tag: fallacies

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias, the inclination to favor information that aligns with one’s preexisting beliefs while dismissing conflicting data, can significantly impede effective collaboration. In collaborative environments, this cognitive bias can subtly distort communication, decision-making, and team dynamics. When team members fall prey to confirmation bias, they may only seek out or pay attention to information that…
Dunning Kruger effect

Ever heard of the bank robber who thought lemon juice on his face would make him invisible to security cameras? And now you might ask yourself how this was the origin of the dunning Kruger effect? 🙂 Professor David Dunning red a newspaper article about this sub-clever bank robber ² and started to set up…
Net negative producing developer

This blog post is about an anti pattern – and on top contains another anti pattern in itself (in my opinion). So what is a net negative producing developer? Originally described by G. Gordon Schulmeyer in the early 90’s, it’s basically a member of a (software) team whose contributions to a project result in more…
Status quo bias

I’ll confess, I’m a creature of habit. The same coffee shop order every morning, the well-worn route to work – there’s a comfort in the familiar. The status quo bias, our tendency to favor the current state of affairs, can be a major roadblock for businesses navigating a VUCA landscape. Imagine a company clinging to…
Analysis paralysis

Analysis paralysis happens when teams get stuck trying to make a decision because they have too much information or too many choices. It’s like being frozen in place because you’re overwhelmed by all the options. This happens a lot when there’s a big decision to make or a lot of factors to consider. The tema…
NIH

Have you ever heard of the “Not Invented Here” (NIH) syndrome? Maybe not explicetely, but you might experienced with a team of juniors. NIH refers to the tendency to reject ideas, solutions, or technologies that originate from outside our own organization or team. This mindset can hinder our ability to collaborate effectively and limit our…
Optimism bias

Optimism bias, our tendency to overestimate positive outcomes and underestimate negative ones, can creep into various business decisions, leading to unforeseen consequences like severe delays in delivery or cost explosions. Imagine a sales manager overly confident about exceeding ambitious sales targets. This optimism bias might lead to neglecting crucial risk assessments, like potential market fluctuations…
Whataboutism

Whataboutism, where people respond to criticism by pointing out flaws in others, happens because folks want to avoid taking responsibility. It’s like when you’re in trouble and you try to change the subject instead of facing the music. This happens a lot when things get heated, especially in arguments where sides are really divided. Whataboutism…
Anecdotal evidence

Big fancy words can cloud important ideas, so let’s talk about something that trips up businesses sometimes: relying on “war stories” instead of hard data. These war stories, also called anecdotal evidence, are basically just personal experiences or rumors – like saying a product is bad because your friend had one issue. Here’s the problem:…
Ad hominem

The “ad hominem” fallacy is one of the most common strategies in a conflict. Here is an example: Imagine we’re working on a new user interface for the marketing team. You think a prominent button is key, while Sarah prefers a minimalist design. An “ad hominem” attack, like saying, “Your interfaces are always too cluttered!”,…