Abstract

Confirmation bias—the tendency to interpret new evidence as the confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories—often can creep into root cause analysis activity. It’s important to understand how this bias, as well as convergent and divergent thinking, can affect problem-solving activities and influence decision making. There’s a four-step process that provides a framework to defeat confirmation bias in problem solving. The author illustrates this process with an example of a manufacturer looking for reasons why a baby food container was cracking and causing problems