confirmation bias & my most amazing corporate experience

It was around this time of year, back in 2001, that I had the most remarkable experience of my corporate career.  

The company I worked for - a major financial services company - had purchased a division of another mega company.  Our company name was virtually unknown outside the industry, while the other company's name was recognized around the world.  The other company had a very laid-back corporate culture, very different from ours.

Needless to say, the transition of the unit to ours turned into a major challenge.  I was transferred over, to serve as liaison & unofficial company cheerleader.  

The new employees didn't trust management.  They felt betrayed at being sold, at having lost their corporate luster, at being thrust into a more rigid culture.  And they thought their new bosses were out to bilk them of the bonus they were offered if they stayed on a certain amount of time.  

The fallout of this massive distrust & unhappiness took my bosses by surprise.  I was pretty shocked myself at learning they'd never put together a transition plan, had never anticipated there might be problems bringing the new group on board.  They'd expected it to go seamlessly, not be fraught with stress & discontent.

Things finally got so bad, I went to the head of Human Resources to share my concerns & my belief  that the best way to resolve the problem was to bring everything out in the open, to have the president - not just the vp in charge of the new division - have an open discussion with his new employees.  Go back to square one & start over.

Two days later, the vp in charge of the division stopped by my cubby & requested my presence in his office.  NOW.  Off I went, anticipating having to clear out my desk on my return.

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.

The vp leaned across his desk, his hands folded in front of him, and said, "We hear that you are unhappy.  What can we do to turn that around?"

Stunned, I explained, "It's not me - it's the people I work with."

"Really," he continued, "What can we do to make you happy?"

Again, I explained that the problems I'd brought up with HR weren't mine, but my new colleagues.

For the third time, he asked, "What can we do to make you happy?"

At that point, frustrated at getting nowhere, I flippantly replied, "Give me a bonus, a raise & extra days off."

And they did.  Got a heft bonus, a 25% (!) raise & extra days off.  

That is the very definition of confirmation bias.  The vp translated everything I said through what he expected.  

Luckily, some of it did sink in.  The president did speak to his new unit, it was followed by a highly unusual open give & take discussion between him, various other top brass & the new employees, all of which helped right most, if not all, of the misunderstandings & assumptions that were poisoning the work relationship from both sides.

Sometimes confirmation bias can be disastrous;  sometimes, it can have a fabulous, unintended result.  Just ask me!