Why we judge other people

There's a bias that I’ve seen in almost every team that I’ve worked with, and it’s invisible to most leaders.

It's called the Fundamental Attribution Error. First identified by psychologist Lee Ross in 1977, it describes our tendency to judge someone's behaviour as a reflection of their character, rather than their circumstances.

Here are some examples: a colleague arrives late - ‘they’re unreliable’. A team member pushes back on a new initiative - ‘they’re resistant’. Someone sends a blunt email - ‘they're being aggressive’.

But when we arrive late, we had good reason. When we push back, we're being appropriately critical. We know our own context. We rarely extend the same courtesy to others.

The consequences inside teams are significant. This bias fuels a blame culture, erodes trust, and stops organisations from learning anything meaningful from failure; And research psychologist Bertram Gawronski suggests it snowballs. 

That is, once you've labelled someone as ‘difficult to work with’ every subsequent interaction reinforces that belief, regardless of the reality.

The antidote isn't excusing poor behaviour (it turns out some people are unreliable or rude!). It's asking a better question before you pass judgement. What might have been going on for them in that moment that led to the behaviour that you witnessed?

Context almost always drives behaviour and we’re better served when we choose to understand it, rather than judge it.