This document discusses strategies for developing greater self-awareness and mitigating cognitive biases. It begins with an overview of how the brain works and how biases form from shortcuts. Specific cognitive biases like confirmation bias are explained. Motivation and deeper drivers are explored using the Individual Directions Inventory assessment. Examples are given of how motivations can lead to biases in thinking. Finally, four strategies are presented for mitigating the impact of biases: increasing self-awareness, reflection, slowing down decision-making, and seeking different perspectives. The goal is to understand biases and how they affect judgment so people can make less erroneous decisions.

1. Motivation and Bias:
Strategies for Developing Greater Self-
Awareness and Observational Skills
Tricia Naddaff + David Ringwood, MRG

2. Host
Lucy Sullivan
Head of Marketing, MRG
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√ Slides
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3. Tricia Naddaff
President, MRG
Management Research Group is a global leader in designing
assessments that foster a deep self-awareness and impact
people in profound and meaningful ways with solutions for
Leadership, Personal Development, Sales and Service.
MRG conducts extensive research on effective leadership
behavior, leveraging a database of more than 1.2 million
assessment participants.
David Ringwood
VP of Client Development, EMEA

4. Motivation and Bias:
Strategies for Developing Greater Self-
Awareness and Observational Skills
A moment to reflect

5. Today’s Agenda
1.Brain Basics
2.Understanding Bias
3.Motivation and Bias
4.Dealing with Bias

6. Poll Question
How frequently is there discussion and education around bias in your
organization or the organizations you work with?
a. Frequently - bias is discussed and taught regularly
b. Somewhat frequently - beginning to work with it more regularly
c. Only occasionally is bias discussed
d. Very rarely (or maybe even not at all)

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Understanding the
Brain

8. Keep Us Safe

9. Conserve Energy

10. Threat Sensitive

11. Lazy

12. Older Parts of the Brain Control:
• Emotions
• Fight, Flight, Freeze Response
• Habits
• Shortcuts

13. Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) Controls:
• Higher reasoning/Abstract thought
• Working memory/focus
• Inhibition/willpower
• Planning/organizing
• Flexible decision making
• Empathy and moral conscience
• Patience and hope
• Metacognition: Insight and judgement
Amy F. T. Arnsten, Ph.D.
Yale Medical School

14. • Continually scanning
• Always on
• Fast but error prone
• Works automatically
• Uses shortcuts, impulses and
intuition
• Mechanisms use little energy
• Used for specific problems
• Has to be “turned on”
• Slow but reliable
• Takes a lot of effort
• Solves complex problems and
uses self control
• Mechanisms use a lot of
energy
Two Brain Patterns
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Thinking Fast Thinking Slow

15. An Example of a Shortcut
Who is driving?

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What is bias?

17. If you
have a
brain…
you’re
biased.

18. Every second, our brains…
ENCOUNTER
roughly
11 million
pieces of
information
CAPTURE
50
pieces of
information
PROCESS
7
pieces of
information

19. Understanding Bias
Our brains are constantly
taking shortcuts to fill in the
blanks.
These short cuts are biases.

20. Understanding Bias
These shortcuts cause us to
make unconscious decisions.
Many of these unconscious
decisions are wrong.
This is especially true if the
problem or issue is complex…
like another person.

21. Understanding Bias
Biases allow us to make snap
judgements about people
before we even realize we’ve
done so.

22. Understanding Bias
We tend to make decisions
about people based on small,
discrete data points.
We then extend that decision
to their whole character.

23. Understanding Bias
Often, our decision-making
circuits try to cover up our lack
of knowledge about the other
person.
This results in a level of
overconfidence that our
perceptions are accurate.

24. If you
have a
brain…
you’re
biased.

25. Examples: Cognitive Biases
Confirmation Bias
Semmelweis
Reflex
Naïve Realism
Illusion of Truth Effect
False
Consensus
Effect
Fundamental
Attribution
Error
Illusion of
Transparency
Stereotyping

26. What amplifies bias?
Speed, complexity, stress and
cognitive overload increase
the influences of cognitive
biases.

27. Questions
& Comments

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Motivation and Bias
…and why it matters.

29. Individual Directions Inventory™
The IDI explores motivational drivers and sources of
energy, connecting motivation and behavior in
innovative new ways to empower individuals and
organizations to make unprecedented progress toward
their goals.
• Surfaces subtle drivers to reignite individual energy
and illuminate opportunities for growth
• Highlights aspects of an individual’s ideal
environment and strengthens team Dynamics
• Builds a roadmap for channeling motivational
energy to support organizational objectives
• Supports organizational change, coaching,
executive transition and candidate selection

30. Understanding our deeper drivers
Motivational factors originate from the
formative years and evolve slowly over
time.
While we may recognize our own
behavior quite easily, some
people are less in touch with
these deeper underlying drivers.

31. Understanding our deeper drivers
Many people will be surprised by a few of
their IDI scores.
It is truly difficult to have a fully
objective view of ourselves.

32. Understanding our deeper drivers
People with extreme scores are very likely
to underestimate this extremity.
They may have normalized it to
the extent that it becomes less
evident to them.

33. IDI Dimensions – Measuring Motivation
AFFILIATING
Giving
Receiving
Belonging
Expressing
ATTRACTING
Gaining Stature
Entertaining
CHALLENGING
Maneuvering
Winning
Controlling
PERCEIVING
Creating
Interpreting
MAINTAINING
Stability
Independence
Irreproachability
MASTERING
Excelling
Enduring
Structuring

34. “In the past two decades, the time spent by
managers and employees in
collaborative activities has
ballooned by 50%
or more.”
Harvard Business Review, Jan/Feb 2016. “Collaborative Overload.”
Cross, Rebele & Grant.

35. At many companies, employees spend
about 80% of their time
interacting with others – in
meetings, on the phone, or responding to
emails.
Harvard Business Review, Jan/Feb 2016. “Collaborative Overload.”
Cross, Rebele & Grant.

36. Examples of Bias Effect categories
Potential Mindset Effects
Oppositional mindset (me versus you)
“Never good enough” mindset
Potential Interpretive Biases
Everything is a competition
Giving up is an admission of defeat
Potential Assumption-based Thinking
There’s always a hidden agenda
The facts speak for themselves
Potential Estimation Errors
Under-estimation of the support needs of others
Under-estimation of other people’s sensitivity to conflict
Potential Attribution Errors
Attributing negative intent to others, projecting

37. Page No 37
Examples of Motivational Biases

38. The motivation to Give
When someone is high on the motivation to give,
they may think…
(Assumption Bias)
“Everyone wants my
help.”

39. The motivation to Achieve and Succeed
When someone is highly motivated to achieve and succeed,
they may think…
(Mindset Bias)
“It’s never good enough”

40. The motivation to Maintain Autonomy
When someone is highly motivated to be self-sufficient,
they may think…
(Interpretive Bias)
“Support is just an attempt to
interfere and take control.”

41. The motivation for External Recognition
When someone has less motivation for external recognition,
they may think…
(Estimation Error)
“They don’t want a lot of praise
or fuss about their
accomplishments.”

42. Examples of multiple bias effects:
Interpersonal Dynamics
Sensitive to feeling
isolated or excluded
Sensitive to feeling
unappreciated or under-
recognised
Sensitive to feeling
ignored
Sensitive to feeling
unsupported
What are my unique sensitivities?
What biases might they give rise to?
How can I calibrate my behaviors to account for this?

43. Questions
& Comments

44. [Footer text to come] Page No 44
How to deal with
biases
4 strategies to mitigate the impact
of bias

45. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Become aware of your own
motivations.
Increase your awareness.1

46. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Know your internal triggers.
Increase your awareness.1
• Stressed
• Overwhelmed
• Tired
• Emotional
• Rejected
• Embarrassed

47. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Know your external triggers.
Increase your awareness.1
• Meetings
• Email
• Tough decisions
• Time pressure
• Conflict
• A particular person
• Time of day

48. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Look back at your past
decisions.
How could decision making be
improved?
Reflect.2

49. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
When have you experienced
bias directed toward you?
How have others experienced
your biases directed at them?
Reflect.2

50. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Take three deep breaths.
Sleep on it.
Slow down.3

51. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Become aware of your internal
narrative.
Slow down.3

52. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Recognize a
considered response
vs.
an automatic response.
Slow down.3

53. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Take time to get to know
people more completely.
Slow down.3

54. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Invite a different perspective.
Break the habit cycle.4

55. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Ask…
…for feedback.
…questions instead of
making statements.
Break the habit cycle.4

56. Mitigate the Impact of Bias
Use your imagination.
• How would I advise
someone else about the
decision?
• How would I decide this a
year from now?
Break the habit cycle.4

57. “Knowing yourself is the
beginning of all wisdom.”
- Aristotle

58. Questions
& Comments

59. Resources and What is On the Way….
 Resources
Your Brain at Work
Blind Spot: Hidden Biases
Thinking, Fast and Slow
 Slides
 Recording
 Q&A

60. Upcoming Events with MRG
CertificationsWebinars
Personal Directions®
Starts October 22
LEA 360™
Starts November 3
IDI™
Starts November 10
Shared Leadership: How Better Team Dynamics
Can Improve Organizational Effectiveness
November 4
Workshops
Using the IDI™ with Teams
October 27
Certification in the IDI™ is a prerequisite.
Registration at
MRG.com/calendar

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Thank you.
Stay in touch.
research@mrg.com