Psychologist Solomon Ash did the following test. Students were shown three lines of different lengths and were asked to judge which line was of the same length as a separate reference line. As the lengths of the lines were different enough, mistakes made were rare.
In a second experiment, all students, except one, were requested secretly to choose intentionally the wrong line. The student, who was not in the picture, was the true target of the experiment. In a series of 12 questions it was found that in 75% of the cases the student agreed one or more times with the majority’s wrong judgement. Only 25% remained independent with their, in this case correct, judgement.
In other studies Ash found that between 50-80% of people tested, did go along with the majority’s false opinion.
Conclusion: There is big chance that team members are influenced by the majority although they may have a very valid reason to speak up, be it for sharing ideas, influencing a decision, or making another meaningful contribution.
There is a bigger chance that the Ash Effect will take place if
- Some team members and/ or boss are too domineering
- Issues are complex and confusing
- People to be contradicted are friends or nice colleagues
- Objections must be brought up by raising hands (voting)
- If team member believe that fellow team members know more about the subject
How do we manage that?
Create AWARENESS about the Ash Effect by sharing this with your team members. Discuss what adverse effect this could have on team performance and agree that you don’t want the Ash Effect to come alive in your team. Encourage your team members to ‘speak up’. Ask them to share and explain their views with the team, also if those views are different or controversial. Needless to say, when people disagree with the team’s general opinion, encourage everybody to listen very, very carefully and make a real effort to understand before coming to a conclusion.
Ensure that all staff is well trained and competent in dispensing their job. Insist that all team members are well prepared for discussions and meetings. If that is the case your team members are less likely to be in a situation that they don’t understand the issue under discussion and agree, as this is more convenient.
Choose to address tricky issues in writing and anonymously. How do we do that? Pose a question to your team. Distribute ‘Post-it’ stickers. Ask them to write down as many as possible solutions, one solution on one sticker. Give ample time. After approx. 5-10 minutes collect all stickers from the team and stick them, visibly to all, to a white board. You have then a wide range of possible answers. Typically, you will find that many answers are similar and can be grouped together. This has a positive effect, as it will build team togetherness. That way, you will have collected everybody’s idea, avoiding that one idea or person dominates the discussions, and a good base to find the best solution.
In a second experiment, all students, except one, were requested secretly to choose intentionally the wrong line. The student, who was not in the picture, was the true target of the experiment. In a series of 12 questions it was found that in 75% of the cases the student agreed one or more times with the majority’s wrong judgement. Only 25% remained independent with their, in this case correct, judgement.
In other studies Ash found that between 50-80% of people tested, did go along with the majority’s false opinion.
Conclusion: There is big chance that team members are influenced by the majority although they may have a very valid reason to speak up, be it for sharing ideas, influencing a decision, or making another meaningful contribution.
There is a bigger chance that the Ash Effect will take place if
- Some team members and/ or boss are too domineering
- Issues are complex and confusing
- People to be contradicted are friends or nice colleagues
- Objections must be brought up by raising hands (voting)
- If team member believe that fellow team members know more about the subject
How do we manage that?
Create AWARENESS about the Ash Effect by sharing this with your team members. Discuss what adverse effect this could have on team performance and agree that you don’t want the Ash Effect to come alive in your team. Encourage your team members to ‘speak up’. Ask them to share and explain their views with the team, also if those views are different or controversial. Needless to say, when people disagree with the team’s general opinion, encourage everybody to listen very, very carefully and make a real effort to understand before coming to a conclusion.
Ensure that all staff is well trained and competent in dispensing their job. Insist that all team members are well prepared for discussions and meetings. If that is the case your team members are less likely to be in a situation that they don’t understand the issue under discussion and agree, as this is more convenient.
Choose to address tricky issues in writing and anonymously. How do we do that? Pose a question to your team. Distribute ‘Post-it’ stickers. Ask them to write down as many as possible solutions, one solution on one sticker. Give ample time. After approx. 5-10 minutes collect all stickers from the team and stick them, visibly to all, to a white board. You have then a wide range of possible answers. Typically, you will find that many answers are similar and can be grouped together. This has a positive effect, as it will build team togetherness. That way, you will have collected everybody’s idea, avoiding that one idea or person dominates the discussions, and a good base to find the best solution.
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Quite an interesting read. It indeed does cripple organizations.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea of Post-it’ stickers. I have seen something similar with my previous employer and I remember him sharing the variety of thoughts he got on the issue. The only thing missing perhaps was that he did not share everyone's idea within the team and kept it to himself. I guess that's variable depending on the question/issue.
Cheers,
Roopa