3. Where and How Bias or Miscommunication Can Occur

What do we mean by bias?

Bias is not simply a personal flaw

Bias is sometimes talked about as if it means that someone is being careless, unfair or deliberately favouring one conclusion.

In reality, bias is often unintentional. It can influence judgement, interpretation or decision-making without a person being aware that it is happening.

People constantly have to make sense of large amounts of information. To do this, we rely on our experience, expectations and mental shortcuts. These are a normal part of decision-making, but under some circumstances they can influence which information we notice, how we interpret it and the conclusions we reach.

 

Two forms of bias

Two commonly discussed forms of bias are confirmation bias and contextual bias.

Looking beyond the individual

Clarus also considers how the conditions in which people work can create opportunities for bias.

For example, people may be working under time pressure, dealing with large amounts of information or communicating across different professional groups. Organisational structures, working practices and the way information is shared can all influence the decisions people make.

This means that understanding bias is not simply about identifying mistakes made by individuals. It also involves considering the wider conditions in which judgements and decisions are made.

Recognising these influences can help organisations develop working practices that support clearer communication and more reliable decision-making.

Next: back to the Digital Detectives case

In the next step, we will return to the Digital Detectives case and explore how some of these forms of bias and misunderstanding might emerge in practice.

 

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