Transformation and change are complementary. If you need to achieve lasting change there is a need to doctor inner engineering of people, processes and procedures. And to truly transform from one space of performance to another, needs the acceptance to change, the acceptance to shift status quo.
Agile Transformation demands the necessary components of transformation and change.
To amplify my point; We change our clothes every day. We changed, but we did we transform? Now consider the magic of a uniform (having worn eight different ones in my life in the armed forces). That uniform, when worn, does not only change you, it transforms you into a realm of high performance. Each time I wore my flying overalls, I just didn’t change clothes, I transformed into an asset. An asset of high performance in an extremely volatile environment.
Epistemologically, Change and Transformation in human behaviour exist in as ontological phenomena. One can assign any number of objective metrics to measure Change or Transformation, but the true impact on performance is difficult to extrapolate. This is because humans exist in the realm of cognitive associations. We operate from frames of references. Frames created by conscious and subconscious biases,
Human Cognitive Biases Impact Agile Transformation. Most of the time, Agile Transformation roll out goes off the projected trajectory because metrics supersedes cognitive behaviour. We do not plot the various biases that can surface or exist in the overall transformation strategy.
Any Transformation, more so an Agile Transformation, is people-centric. Therefore, we just cannot afford to ignore the behaviours they would display in the transformation process.
Some of the common biases that influence an Agile Transformation process are generated from Cultural and Social moorings. They are in no way exhaustive, just the tip of the Mindset Iceberg. However, any Agile Coach or Facilitator in an Agile Transformation journey must imbibe awareness on their existence.
The top five Cognitive Biases that exist in an Agile Transformation process are:
Bias #1. The Imposter Syndrome
A bias that is universally in existence, surpassing caste, culture and creed, and the most influential bias that impedes performance. Ever felt you are not that good enough or are not too confident to execute a task although you have all requisite qualifications to do the job well? Well, that is the Imposter Syndrome at work. This bias is defined as a “persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills. People suffering from impostor syndrome may be at increased risk of anxiety”. Agile Transformation projects often hit roadblocks because of the Imposter Syndrome afflicting the team members. It is, therefore, necessary to identify when such biases crop up in the Agile transformation road map.
Bias #2. Kruger Dunning Syndrome
This bias is evident in higher levels of management or by those people who possess definite skill sets. It gets all the more prominent by those with Fixed Mindsets. Notice how professionals who have excelled in a particular field tend to assert their intellectual dominance in other areas where they have little or no prior knowledge? That is the Kruger Dunning Syndrome at work. It is defined as a “cognitive bias in which people assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is. It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from the inability of people to recognize their lack of ability”. In simple words, people with more knowledge and negligible experience in a particular field tend to assert themselves as ‘experts’ and thereby influence this false perception over people around them.
Noticing the presence of the Kruger Dunning Effect in management during an Agile Transformation is a vital coaching and facilitation skill.
Bias #3. Confirmation Bias
This bias is defined as the “tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories”. Ever noticed how the initial sceptics of the Agile Transformation are eager to press the brakes each time the project encounters a challenge? The ” I told you so” and ” I always knew it” proponents? Well, that is classic Confirmation Bias at play. Confirmation Bias emerges from Comfort Zones. People who are comfortable to operate from the status quo are actually a victim of this bias. It is imperative to identify this bias and address it quickly in order to clear transformation impediments.
Bias #4. Self Fulfilling Prophecy
This bias is double-edged. It can be utilised to either initiate new performance or hamper an existing one. The bias is defined as ” the phenomenon of someone “predicting” or expecting something, and this “prediction” or expectation comes true simply because one believes it will, and their resulting behaviours align to fulfil those beliefs. This suggests peoples’ beliefs influence their actions”. While a Confirmation Bias is about the subjectivity of evidence of action, the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy is about the prediction of actions. Vision statements, Mission Ideals, Performance Road Maps, Manifestos and Promises are all dependent on the prevailing Self-Fulfilling Prophecy that emanates from the stakeholders. Every Agile Transformation Project should be accurately assessed with the prevailing Self-Fulfilling Prophecy that exists in various levels of management. A variance in the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy at any of the levels of functional execution will create a hindrance in the strategic outcomes. A good coach will always have a keen eye on the synchronicity of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of the various stakeholders in an Agile Transformation process and bring any inconsistency to the table without delay.
Bias #5. Cognitive Dissonance
A bias that emanates from conflict of cognitive learnings. Learnings both from knowledge and experience that are in conflict with existing beliefs and truth sets thereby creating inconsistency in thoughts. It is defined as “the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioural decisions and attitude change.” Cognitive Dissonance is largely an outcome of Nature and Nurture. The environments we grew up in and experienced our learning behaviours from. Notice how issues of racism, sexism, feudalism, caste and religion create discomfort amongst seemingly intellectual professionals? Well, that Cognitive Dissonance at play. A conflict between what I always believed to be the truth and the alternate view that I’m now being presented with. This bias afflicts coaches, facilitators and Agile Transformation initiators too! Therefore, the necessity for express introspection and self-awareness during the entire stretch of the transformation journey by primary stakeholders.
Cognitive Biases are ubiquitous in any environment where there exists a people connect. They are ever-present and a natural human phenomenon that occurs whenever humans interact. It is absolutely vital to be well versed in the existence of such human biases in an organisational context so that they are accurately identified and addressed. Agile Transformations without the element of this viral observation is bound to get grounded. We at Leadership-Tribe are not only aligned but consider it a fundamental prerequisite to educate our clients and transformation stakeholders on the importance of such biases at play. We are also cognizant of the fact that our trainers, coaches and facilitators are also constantly aware of the various biases that creep in during the transformation journey. The biases covered in this article are just a slice of the pie. Connect with us to discover more on the how and why an experiential knowledge of Cognitive Biases augments the successful implementation of an Agile Transformation process. We would love to hear your views and thoughts on this issue.
