The I’m-not-biased bias

Kristine Schryvers

As Thomas assessment users we all know how the profiles of candidates can help us avoiding biases in recruitment.

In his book ‘Think again’, Adam Grant explains one of the most dangerous biases we can encounter: ‘ It’s the belief that other people have biases, but I’m rational and immune to them’, the I’m-not-biased-bias. And, he declares, the more clever you are, the more likely you are to be tripped up by this fallacy. 

“Guess what — the smarter you are, the higher your score on an IQ test, the more likely you are to fall victim to the I’m-not-biased bias,” Grant insists. “Which means the more brilliant  you are, the worse you are at recognizing your own limitations.”

‘Being good at thinking can make you worse at rethinking.’

Some food for thought …