Fundamental Attribution Error: This Cognitive Bias Destroys Relationships
According to a survey of 200,000 employees, this is the #1 thing people want…
Author’s Note: If you’d like to learn more about mental models in general, read This Is Exactly How You Should Train Yourself To Be Smarter [Infographic]
Definition Of Fundamental Attribution Error
The Fundamental Attribution Error states that when we try to explain other people’s bad behavior, we tend to overemphasize their personality and underemphasize the situation they were in. This leaves people feeling unappreciated and destroys relationships.
For example, if a team member at work makes a mistake, we’re more likely to attribute it to their personality, character, or skill level. However, if we make the same mistake, we’re more likely to attribute it to the situation (i.e., we were rushing, felt tired, or it was someone else’s fault).
While this might make sense on an abstract level, you’re probably wondering:
So why does this matter? What are the implications in my life?
Let’s explore this…
Do You Know The #1 Thing People Want At Work?
Money, fame, crazy perks?
Well, no.
According to a survey of 200,000 employees, the #1 thing people want is recognition. The same is probably true with our closest personal relationships.
Yet, so many feel unappreciated and unrecognized. Sadly, even though authentic recognition is ridiculously easy to give, most people suck at it because of the Fundamental Attribution Error.
The Fundamental Attribution Error can lead to a chain reaction of frustration, disengagement, subpar performance, further judgment, toxicity, and ultimately parting ways.
And, it’s easy to understand why.
We’ve all had situations where we did everything we could to reach a goal at work, something happens outside of our control, and then we still get blamed. It can be enraging. Why even bother trying, we wonder.
Conversely, it can be frustrating when you’re a parent, leader, or manager and someone doesn’t deliver on something they promised to do, and then even worse, they make excuses about it.
Given that the most valuable asset of companies is its people and that the cost of losing a great employee can be tens of thousands of dollars or even more, not properly recognizing people is a big deal. This one mistake can cost larger companies millions of dollars.
On a personal level, people account for so much of what makes life rewarding. The Fundamental Attribution Error can lead us to push away and be pushed away by the people closest to us—our kids, our parents, and our spouses.
By understanding what the Fundamental Attribution Error is, how it plays out in our lives and work, and how to deal with it, you can:
Be a leader that people actually want to follow and over-deliver for.
Communicate with your boss or employees more effectively.
Speak to your kids and significant other without them tuning out or being tuned out.
Ultimately, understanding the Fundamental Attribution Error can be the difference between getting promotions, having an impact, and building a successful company or failure and stagnation.
So why is such a big problem with an easy solution not being solved?
Let’s go a level deeper to understand the answer.
The Next Level Of Fundamental Attribution Error
Picture this situation:
Ben is starting a new job that he’s excited about. First thing in the morning on his first day, he is meeting the CEO one-on-one to kick things off.
In order to not be late, Ben left half an hour earlier than he thought he needed to. Nevertheless, an accident on the way caused a terrible traffic jam, which led Ben to arrive late for his business meeting.
Now, in your opinion, what will the CEO think about him being late? Will the CEO attribute it to situational factors, like the accident? Or will the CEO immediately form a bad impression, one Ben will have to struggle for a long time to overturn?
I think you know the answer!
Mental models and cognitive biases like the Fundamental Attribution Error are nice to know, but their real value comes from applying them to every area of our life. Below are a few memorable examples to help you think about how the Fundamental Attribution Error is impacting your life.
Examples Of The Fundamental Attribution Error
There are many examples of the fundamental attribution error we can draw from—and most of them come directly from our daily lives: