by Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network
In the intricate dance of human interaction within nonprofit organizations, subtle yet powerful forces known as attributional biases can shape perceptions, influence judgments, and ultimately impact the overall culture and effectiveness. These biases, often operating beneath conscious awareness, can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and missed opportunities for collaboration. In our previous posts (Part 1 and Part 2), we talked about many of these biases. We continue with even more in this post.
Imagine a staff member attributing a colleague’s mistake solely to their personality, a board member overlooking situational factors when evaluating a program’s failure, a team leader overestimating their individual contribution to a project’s success, or a volunteer assuming that others share their views on a particular issue. These scenarios illustrate the pervasive influence of attributional biases such as the fundamental attribution error, actor-observer effect, underutilization of consensus information, self-based consensus effect, self-serving attributional biases, and self-centered bias.
In the following sections, we will delve into each of these attributional biases, examining their definitions, demonstrating their potential consequences in the nonprofit context, and proposing strategies to counteract their influence.
Fundamental Attribution Error
- Definition: The tendency to overemphasize dispositional (internal) explanations for others’ behavior while underestimating situational (external) factors.
- Nonprofit Example: A volunteer coordinator observes a volunteer arriving late for a shift. They immediately attribute this to laziness or lack of commitment, overlooking potential situational factors like a family emergency or transportation issues.
- Impact: This bias can lead to unfair judgments, strained relationships, and a lack of empathy. It can also create a culture of blame and discourage volunteers from seeking support when they face challenges.
Actor-Observer Effect
- Definition: The tendency to attribute one’s own actions to situational factors while attributing others’ actions to their dispositions.
- Nonprofit Example: A development director attributes their own failure to secure a major grant to external factors like a competitive funding environment. However, they attribute a colleague’s similar failure to a lack of skill or effort.
- Impact: This bias can lead to self-serving justifications, a lack of personal accountability, and resentment towards colleagues who are perceived as unfairly judged. It can also hinder learning from mistakes and impede personal growth.
Underutilization of Consensus Information
- Definition: The tendency to underweight the opinions or perspectives of others when forming judgments about events or behaviors.
- Nonprofit Example: A program manager develops a new initiative without consulting with other staff members or stakeholders. They assume that their own perspective is sufficient and overlook valuable insights and potential concerns that others might raise.
- Impact: This bias can lead to poorly designed programs, missed opportunities for collaboration, and a lack of buy-in from stakeholders. It can also create a sense of isolation and undermine trust within the organization.
Self-Based (False) Consensus Effect
- Definition: The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our own beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
- Nonprofit Example: A board member believes that most donors are primarily motivated by tax deductions. They design fundraising campaigns accordingly, overlooking the fact that many donors are also driven by altruistic motives or a desire to make a positive impact.
- Impact: This bias can lead to ineffective fundraising strategies, missed opportunities to connect with donors on a deeper level, and a lack of understanding of diverse donor motivations.
Self-Serving Attributional Biases
- Definition: The tendency to take credit for successes and deny responsibility for failures.
- Nonprofit Example: A team leader takes full credit for a successful fundraising campaign, attributing it to their own leadership and expertise. However, when a subsequent campaign fails, they blame external factors like a weak economy or poor timing.
- Impact: This bias can foster an environment of self-promotion, undermine teamwork, and hinder learning from mistakes. It can also create resentment among team members who feel their contributions are undervalued or unrecognized.
Self-Centered Bias
- Definition: The tendency to overestimate one’s own contributions to a group effort.
- Nonprofit Example: Multiple team members collaborate on a grant proposal. Each individual believes that they contributed more than their fair share to the final product, leading to potential conflicts and a sense of inequity.
- Impact: This bias can create tension within teams, undermine collaboration, and hinder the ability to fairly distribute recognition and rewards. It can also lead to an inflated sense of self-importance and a lack of appreciation for the contributions of others.