DUNNING KRUEGER

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The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task are more likely to overestimate their ability.  The very knowledge and skills necessary to be good at a task are the exact same qualities that a person needs to recognise that they are not good at that task.  So if a person lacks those abilities, they are ignorant to their own inability.  

 

Much of the problem derives from the person's ignorance of a given activity's standards of performance.  Incompetent people tend to:

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• Overestimate their own skill levels
• Fail to recognise the genuine skill and expertise of other people (the real experts)

• Fail to recognise their own mistakes and lack of skill

 

The Dunning-Kruger effect is related to people’s general inability to step back and look at their own behaviour and abilities from outside of themselves.  People are often only able to evaluate themselves from their own limited and highly subjective point of view.  From this limited perspective,  it is easy to assume they are highly skilled, knowledgeable, and superior to others. 

 

It is also caused by the fact that people tend to use mental shortcuts to enable themselves to make decisions quickly.  Our minds are primed to quickly make sense of the disparate array of information we deal with on a daily basis.  As we try to cut through confusing information, and in our rush to make decisions, we fail to accurately judge our lack of information, particularly in the absence of a more complete understanding of the subject.

 

Armed with a small amount of knowledge on a subject, people mistakenly believe they know all there is to know.  Thanks to the Dunning-Kruger effect, and without a proper assessment, people believe that they are an expert.

 

We Are All Affected

 

Unfortunately, we are all susceptible to the Dunning Krueger effect.  This is because no matter how informed or experienced we are, everyone has areas in which they are uninformed and incompetent.  People who are genuine experts in one area may mistakenly believe that their intelligence and knowledge carry over into other areas in which they are less familiar.  

 

People, in general, are typically overly optimistic when evaluating the quality of their performance on social and intellectual tasks.  And, more worryingly, poor performers grossly overestimate their performance.

 

Impact At The Workplace

 

Dunning Krueger is a particular problem in the workplace which typically has a hierarchical structure where senior managers are required to make decisions showing they are decisive and in charge.  For example, senior managers can easily take decisions in the mistaken belief they are experts in relation to every question that arises, which is unrealistic.  And they fail to recognise the potential damage for the business if the wrong decision is taken (including damage to staff morale from ill-judged decisions).  

 

The damage can be particularly problematic where managers are poor communicators, for example failing to communicate clear work objectives to staff.  As a consequence of the Dunning Krueger effect, they believe they are great communicators.  When you then factor in ‘confirmation bias’, where people have a general tendency to dismiss evidence that does not align with their existing perceptions, there is no reason for poor communicators to improve matters.  If the CEO puts out a general instruction to all managers requesting them to strengthen communications with their staff - possibly in response to grumblings from staff about poor communications - the manager who is a poor communicator is more inclined to dismiss the instruction because of their conviction that they are already a great communicator and no action is needed from them.

 

Tackling The Problem

 

Keep learning.  Instead of assuming you know all there is to know about a subject, keep digging deeper.  Once you gain greater knowledge of a topic, the more likely you are to recognise how much there is still to learn.  This can combat the tendency to assume you are an expert.

 

Ask other people for their views, or to play ‘devils advocate’, or ask for constructive criticism.  While it can sometimes be difficult to hear, such feedback can provide valuable insights into other perspectives, and a more accurate assessment of your knowledge and abilities.