November 2022 Volume 4

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

Addressing Cognitive Distortions in the Workplace By Ray Harkins and Melanie Williamson

Unfortunately, some people filter out the positives and focus on the negatives in all situations. For example, you may have a team working on a project proposal for several months. Throughout the process, the team works well together, brainstorms solutions, and comes up with an impressive proposal. However, at the end, when the proposal is presented, suggestions are made for changes, which is a normal part of the process. A filtering individual will focus solely on the suggested changes and take them as criticism. They may become angry, indignant, or start blaming others on the team for poor performance instead of focusing on making the needed changes. When you have someone who focuses on the negative in every situation, it may help to ask questions highlighting the positives. For example, ask questions about the parts of the proposal that were accepted or praised. When moving on to the requested changes, focus the questions on how these changes will improve the overall proposal or solve problems. Be intentional in the words used when speaking. For example, the requested changes are not problems but rather opportunities for improvement. Polarization Polarization refers to all-or-nothing thinking. In the movie Talladega Nights, Ricky Bobby’s dad tells him as a child, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”This impacts the way Ricky Bobby approaches everything in his life, and it takes him years to understand that life doesn’t always work that way. Polarization can negatively impact productivity in various ways, but perfectionism is most pronounced. Perfectionism leads to the mindset that if something isn’t done perfectly the first time, it shouldn’t be done at all. The need to make something perfect often leads to procrastination. When employees procrastinate in completing work-related tasks, they create chaos for themselves and others within the organization as everyone is forced to work under the pressure of an impending deadline. You can work to correct polarization by reframing the situation. You reframe the situation by challenging the catastrophizing. Catastrophizing is another cognitive distortion that works in combination with polarization, and it is when the individual jumps to the worst-case scenario in every situation. They may fear that if the project they are working on isn’t done perfectly, they will lose their job, the whole company will suffer, and their reputation will be permanently ruined, preventing them from ever working in their field again. Being clear and concise with this individual regarding the urgency of each project and your understanding of limitations

Working in management, you’ve likely witnessed a situation where one employee with a negative attitude or mindset managed to bring down an entire work team. While it may seem like this is being done intentionally, more than likely, it isn't intentional. That one employee may constantly be creating division among coworkers or panic over problems that don’t exist. Further, one individual can create many problems because coworkers also struggle with cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is an exaggerated thought pattern that is not based on facts. A cognitive distortion is your mind telling you situations or people are worse than they really are. Falling prey to cognitive distortions is part of the human experience, and while some individuals may be more prone to it than others, it is a universal problem. People develop cognitive distortions over time and reflect an overall view of life. When individuals demonstrate cognitive distortions in the workplace, they are likely to display them in other areas of their life.The problemwith seeing them in the workplace is that they have the power to reduce productivity, destroy company morale, and increase turnover rates. Here are four cognitive distortions to look out for and how to address them in the workplace. Filtering Filtering is straining out all the positives in a situation and dwelling on the negatives. Many people will filter out the positives and focus on the negatives regarding their achievements or performance. That is why when conducting a performance review, it is standard to end positively so that the employee doesn’t leave the meeting feeling defeated.

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2022 60