People, by their very nature, are prone to making unfair judgments about others. Even the most open-minded, objective thinkers are influenced by cognitive biases they’re not aware of.
A cognitive bias causes flaws in thinking that lead to inaccurate decisions and perceptions. They happen because the human mind processes information so quickly that it’s often the wrong information that is considered. We like to think we fairly evaluate every situation we encounter but our decision-making is influenced by our personal beliefs, life experiences, and emotions—whether we know it or not.
Biases are common in the workplace, especially when managers are asked to evaluate the performance of their team members. There is so much to consider when completing performance reviews and raters can easily get caught up in incorrect or irrelevant details.
