The Sunflower Bias

Or, like we Indians will call it, “The Parwana Effect.”

Photo by Wan J. Kim on Unsplash

What Exactly is the SunFlower Bias?

Right from childhood, all of us learn to respect and adhere to our elders. But it doesn’t mean we should not form an opinion ourselves, especially in our professional life.

When it comes to solving problems or building something new at work, our leaders/seniors always have the advantage, given their experience, authority, and knowledge. But that doesn’t give them the passports to be right always.

They might have started with certain flawed assumptions, overlooked certain aspects of the problem, or simply maybe with changing times; they are unaware of better and efficient ways to solve the problem or build something new.

Often when it comes to discussions/meetings for solving an issue or discussing a new project being kickstarted, we subconsciously get drawn to our leader’s/senior’s opinions or ideas. We subconsciously board the solution train that our leaders or seniors suggest.

Just like a sunflower constantly tracks the sun. By nature, attracted to it.

Hence, “The Sunflower Bias”

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

Curse of the Tribe, not always unwillingly.

We all suffer from the sunflower bias, due to multiple reasons,

1. We are not sure if our solution is correct.
2. We are afraid of rejection or public speaking.
3. The leader/senior is very senior, and we are scared or uneasy to say something contrary to them.
4. We respect the leader/senior way too much.
5. Finally, the worst kind, we aspire to please them. “Yes Man/Woman” in the making !!

Impact of the SunFlower bias

The Sunflower Bias has a significant bearing on all, the company, the leaders, and us.

The company will lose out on better efficient solutions or be stuck with the wrong, inefficient ones altogether.

As leaders, we surround ourselves with “Yes Men/Women”, which will hamper our decision-making process and our growth as a leader. As per an old saying,

“Keep your friends close, your critics closer.”

As individuals, we are losing our individuality and the power of our mind, our thoughts. Of course, unless we are consciously approving to anything and everything our superiors say to please them, in that case, I have nothing to speak further.

Photo by Jose Aragones on Unsplash

Keeping the sunflower bias at bay

As a Leader

1. Reserve your opinion for the very end. Hear out everyone else in the room first. That way, you get time to evaluate your suggestions or ideas against something you had not thought of earlier.
2. Question the people agreeing with you around their assumptions and impact and why it is better than other solutions. Most of the time, the “sunflowers” will not have concrete, thought-through answers.

Not being a leader

1. Articulate your starting assumptions before presenting your opinions or thoughts. People will not judge you negatively for your wrong ideas if they know your assumptions were flawed. If they like it, maybe you will become the sun and everyone else the sunflower :)
2. Don’t be afraid to be wrong; it’s part of the learning process.
3. Don’t be afraid to speak out. Being disrespectful is very different than sharing a well-thought-through suggestion/solution. Leaders always appreciate that.
4. If you don’t have an opinion for various reasons, let people know that, and if possible, think and form an opinion. It’s much better than blindly tagging along to whatever your leaders suggest.

Conclusion

1. Take extra 30 secs, and think about why you have formed a particular opinion. If you feel the sunflower bias creeping in, take a step back and re-evaluate.
2. More importantly, don’t just have a contrary opinion every time to make sure there is no bias.