The BIAS framework
- Philip Brophy
- Mar 28
- 3 min read
Making the right call • 3 min read
A study conducted by McKinsey and Co. on decision-making revealed that half of the respondents were unhappy with how decisions were made within their work teams, with 61% referring to their managements’ decision-making as inefficient and time-wasting.
Introduction
Many of us can struggle with decision-making, worrying that we’ll make wrong choices that will impact our work in financial and time-wasting ways.
When making decisions, we typically see the world through a lens of our own judgments and assumptions.
This week, we’ll look at how the BIAS framework can help us make more even-handed choices that are vital for driving projects forward.
Good, clean decision-making
The BIAS framework works off of the basis that we can make fairer, less biased decisions by not only focusing on clear objectives and analysis, but also working in conjunction with our intuition and surrounding environment.
We can harness a better sense of self-awareness by considering our:
Behaviour
Information
Analysis
Structure (our surrounding environment)
Behaviour
This involves focusing on our behaviour and how we can challenge our instinctive responses for more even-keeled decision-making. Focusing on behaviour encourages us to:
Value opinions around us, even those we disagree with, perhaps getting input from multiple departments through a roundtable meeting.
This can help us to maintain a distance from leaning solely on your gut instinct, which can contain biased blind spots.
Fail fast. When we make bad decisions, we can dig our heels in, committing even further to the choice we’ve made as we believe our idea is fool-proof.
However, when we change course quickly, we can minimise the effect of a bad decision — freeing up our time to focus on better alternatives.
Information
Next, we gather relevant information from a wide variety of perspectives.
By weighing up different data, we can get a clearer vision of the desired outcomes we want to reach. Our team members will likely have different ideas for different data sources.
Analysis
When we analyse information, we can introduce bias into our decision-making.
When you’re clear who the issue will impact, it will help identify the fairest ways of analysing data — whether the decision ownership should fall soley to you, or perhaps to all team members.
You can move towards a neutral stance by recruiting advice from an outside expert.
Structure
Our structure, or surrounding environment, can make a big impact on our decision-making.
When we face a difficult decision, we can unconsciously set expectations without actually looking at the logistics.
Remember to ask yourself:
Is there a deadline?
Could the decision be impacted by budget constraints?
Key takeaways
By identifying our ingrained blind spots that cloud our thinking when making decisions, we can control them to form more balanced perspectives.
The BIAS framework helps us to develop clear, unbiased, decision-making process criteria — weighing up the various options based on empirical analysis, instinct, and the environment we work in.
Try looking at an array of data to inform even-handed decision-making, e.g., past examples of success or failure.
Think big, act small
Why not try a brainstorming step when you next make a decision, looking at several options and predicted outcomes?
Our options should never be judged, no matter how outlandish. This will make for more innovative thinking and potentially more successful outcomes.
Content sources
Forbes, 2020, Forbes Business Development Council, 16 Key Steps to Better Business Decision Making
Forbes, 2021, Hanna Hart May, The Four C’s of Decision-Making
Harvard Business Review, 2018, Laura Schneider and Walter Frick, 3 Ways to improve your Decision Making and Problem Solving
Harvard Business Review, 2022, Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, Better Decisions by Challenging Your Expectations
Comments