Managerial approaches to reducing perceptual bias and attribution errors

¶ … managers can do little to reduce the negative effects of bias in perception and errors in attribution in organizations.A However, others argue managers can take active steps to reduce these negative effects."A Present both points-of-view.A State and substantiate your opinion

There is much controversy with regard to the negative effects of bias in perception and errors in attribution in organizations and the degree to which managers can play an active role in reducing these respective effects. While many managers are experienced in inter-personal relations and have the ability to gain a complex understanding of a subordinate's capabilities, the reality is that mistakes do happen and the best that a person can do would be to learn more with regard to attitudes that he or she can take on with the purpose to avoid being biased when dealing with his or her employees.

Numerous managers have the tendency to judge employees from the very first moment when they hire them. An interesting curriculum vitae or a good first impression can make the difference between a person who is hired and a person who fails to impress through his or her abilities. It often happens that the former is unfit for the job offered while the latter was the perfect candidate. Managers cannot afford to risk to hire individuals they believe to be unfit and thus focus on removing as many issues as they possibly can.

The contrast effect is particularly important when considering managers and their failure to properly assess an employee. "A manager's perception of a subordinate whose performance is average is likely to be less favorable if that subordinate is in a group of very high performers than it would if that subordinate were in a group of average or low performers." (111)

There are a series of cases when managers are unable to properly respond to an employee's behaviors, and some put across involuntary attitudes toward their employees without being able to realize it. Whether a manager deals with the halo effect and judges an employee on account of his or her general performance of whether a manager simply appreciates employees because he or she identifies with them, it is perfectly natural for a person in a management position to be unable to properly provide a feedback to his or her employees in particular circumstances.

A manager who is well-acquainted with strategies he or she can use in an attempt to be objective in his or her line of work can successfully play an active role in removing the negative effects of bias in perception and errors in attribution. One of the most effective methods to implement a system likely to promote objectivity in the workplace would be to ensure that the manager is committed to diversity. By simply acknowledging the fact that his or her employees are diverse and need to be treated individually, a manager is more likely to be able to effectively assess the benefits that each of his or her employees brings to the company as a whole.