I just got back from a walk with my dog and wanted to share a short story - and then relate it to a mental model called the Ladder of Inference.
There is a fabulous trail near our house that I can walk to. The path is along a stream in a wooded area. You can see the back of houses and, for the most part, they are a pretty good distance from the trail leading it to feel secluded. Not surprisingly, many people walk their dogs on the trail.
As we were nearing the last quarter of our very quiet, peaceful, and contemplative walk, I looked up to see two mid-sized shaggy dogs bounding down the trail. The owner had stopped, and because the dogs were not leashed, they did not. I gathered more of the leash of my dog into my hand, not really sure what to expect when the owner called out “Don’t worry! They’re friendly!” At which point the dogs reached us, my dog froze, and then tried to get away from them, which was impossible, and I was maneuvering to guide my little guy away from the dogs so I could pick him up, which I eventually did. He was shaking and calmed down once in my arms.
During this time, the owner kept telling me how friendly his dogs were, how they just wanted to play, how they love the woods, and to leave the little dog alone. I started walking away and the two mid-sized dogs jumping on the back of my legs and lower back. Finally, I told the dogs to stay, and to my surprise, they took a step back, away from me.
So, what leads me to tell you this story and how am I going to relate it to
research collaboration?
The owner made an assumption when he told me his dogs were friendly. And that assumption was that my dog would welcome his friendly dogs running up to him. If he had checked his assumption with me, by asking “Hey, is your dog okay with my dogs bounding over to him?” I would have said “No, I think my dog would be more comfortable if they did not.”
Chris Argyris developed a model called the “Ladder of Inference” in which he explains how we can go from an observation to a story in our heads, in the blink of an eye. Elements such as beliefs, biases, past experiences, and additional meanings lead us to jump to conclusions that are sometimes not true. Sure, sometimes they are, because we become pretty good at making meaning over time. Because we act on our conclusions, when we’ve jumped to one that is not valid, it can cause problems.
When teams work together collaboratively, one powerful thing they can do is develop a shared agreement to test assumptions prior to acting. The more important the stakes, the more important it is to test assumptions. Taking the time to test out those assumptions can save everyone a lot of time and angst if someone has drawn an inaccurate conclusion and tested it before acting on it.
We each have our own ladders and we each climb up our ladders in our own way.
Five Steps for Becoming More Aware of Making Assumptions:
1. Reflect on past interactions and outcomes
a. It is unlikely you’ll become aware, in real time, immediately
2. When you realize you made an assumption
a. Reflect on your initial reactions and judgments
3. Question your "facts" and certainties
a. Consider what you could have asked for input on
4. Openly acknowledge that your understanding may be incomplete
a. Ask if you’re missing something or if there is something you’re not seeing
5. Becoming aware of making assumptions in real time
a. Speak up and acknowledge you’ve made an assumption and ask if it is correct
By continually practicing these steps, you can cultivate a greater awareness of your own assumptions, which will, in turn, enhance your ability to recognize when others might be operating under theirs.
Final notes:
· To those of you who think I made an assumption that the dog owner in my example made an assumption, you are correct. I did make the assumption that he believed my dog would be happy to interact with his dogs. And, I did not test that out with him. (Good catch!)
· Fabulous TedEd Video at this link. I have shared it with many people, who have told me it is very helpful.
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