Incentive-Caused Bias

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What is “Incentive-Caused Bias”?

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” — Upton Sinclair, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Jungle

Key Points:

• Incentive-Caused Bias says that people with a vested interest in something will tend to guide you in the direction of their interest.
• Incentives influence the way people act. Change the incentive, and you’ll change the behavior.
• Incentives are tricky because they interact with our Perceptual Control systems.
• Incentives can be useful if used properly, but caution is in order. Make sure that your interests match those of the people that receive the incentive.

Questions for Consideration:

• Do you have any incentives that may bias your decisions or actions?
• How may incentives alter the behavior or actions of the people you work with?

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