More and more recently I have been going back to the Ladder of Inference. Though we’d like to think we are objective we are not neutral in how we choose our expertise or interpret our experiences. Chris Argyris introduced us to the Ladder of Inference.
We live in a world of self-generating beliefs which remain largely untested. We adopt those beliefs because they are based on conclusions, which are inferred from what we observe, plus our past experience. Our ability to achieve the results we truly desire is eroded by our feelings that:
· Our beliefs are the truth.
· The truth is obvious.
· Our beliefs are based on real data.
· The data we select are the real data.
Typically we start at the bottom of the ladder with all the data in the world and select what is relevant. This leads through series of rungs up the ladder to taking actions.
I—-I I take ACTIONS based on my beliefs.
I—-I I adopt BELIEFS about the world.
I—-I I draw CONCLUSIONS
I—-I I make ASSUMPTIONS based on the meanings I added
I—-I I add MEANINGS (cultural and personal).
I—-I I select “DATA” from what I observe.
I—-I All the information in the world – observable data and experiences
However once we form some beliefs it affects the data that we select, and we begin to take a short cut and not review all of the data available.
Have you ever been accused of “putting 2 and 2 together and making 5”, meaning that the other person thinks you have jumped to the wrong conclusion?
We can’t live our lives without adding meaning or drawing conclusions. It would be an inefficient, tedious way to live. But we can improve our communications through reflection, and by using the ladder of inference in three ways:
· Becoming more aware of our own thinking and reasoning (reflection);
· Making our thinking and reasoning more visible to others (advocacy);
· Inquiring into others’ thinking and reasoning (inquiry).
For me these are some of the key practices for sharing knowledge and we need a balance of these to be effective. I have worked in organisations where there is little time for reflection, because everyone is task focused. And in another they pride themselves on advocacy but never inquire of others.
Think. What is the balance in your organisation and what would it take to adjust that balance?
