The Danger of Cognitive Bias

There’s only one actual problem with building games/software - that it’s done by humans (or at least largely for the time being), and, sorry to shatter any illusions here, but humans are pretty flawed beings.

This results in some fairly obvious issues - things like sickness, life-changing events, personality clashes, poor performance can all cause problems in the team and development process, and the risks/effects of those have to be managed.

However, in my experience, a problem that is too often overlooked is the effects of cognitive biases on the process - particularly within the leadership team. In an amusingly meta manner, this, in itself, is likely due to the effects of some of those biases, most obviously:

• Egocentric Bias - “the tendency to rely too heavily on one's perspective than those of others"

• Self-serving Bias - whereby individuals “ascribe success to their abilities and efforts, but ascribe failure to external factors.”

Which are probably really important to the psychological wellbeing of the individuals concerned and their ability to provide strong, confident leadership.

Indeed, most biases are born out of this kind of phenomena; they often relate to deep-rooted needs and make it easier for us to navigate our realities - there’s even some thought which suggests that there’s a correlation between depression and people who don’t suffer from these biases! This makes them tricky to avoid; almost everyone suffers from them, and the most dangerous ones we come across commonly are:

• Sunk Cost Bias

Probably the number one cause of wastage and financial loss in the games/tech industry, caused by the tendency for people to value things relative to the effort that’s gone into them as opposed to their objective value. See our detailed page about Sunk Cost Bias for more information.

• Action Bias

Driven by a well-intentioned instinct to get things done but can cause significant problems and wastage if the resulting actions are not thought through, check out our page on action bias here.

Alongside those, it’s also worth being aware of Availability Bias: whereby individuals make decisions on the most easily available information as opposed to the best or most complete (for example by focusing on a really small set of easily sourced KPIs as opposed to sourcing more detailed feedback or information) and Confirmation Bias: The tendency to look for information that tends to support your existing position instead of challenging it.

Reducing the Effect of Bias

So, if these biases are important psychologically and difficult to avoid, how do you overcome them and the issues they can cause? Here are some general tips that might help:

1. Be aware of them, particularly Sunk Cost Bias and Action Bias, which we’ve written more detailed articles on, but don’t stop there; read the whole list - there are a lot :)

2. Write a list of the ones you feel might be a danger to you and check it every time you’re facing a major decision.

3. Take a breath before you make decisions or issue briefs, give yourself permission to “think about” or “sleep on” it.

4. Make sure that goals are clear, measurable, and reviewed regularly.

5. Remember that leaders don’t need to have all the answers; indeed, it’s their job to get their teams to come up with them! Ask questions relentlessly and listen more than you speak.

And, when all else fails, seek an external viewpoint. A third party opinion could well help you pick through the minefield and offer an objective and almost entirely bias-free take. Do get in touch if you think one of us can help with that.

Further Reading: