{"id":5175,"date":"2023-12-18T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T07:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stefduplessis.com\/?p=5175"},"modified":"2025-01-31T08:55:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T06:55:17","slug":"perceptual-lenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stefduplessis.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/18\/perceptual-lenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Perceptual Lenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a reader of Cultural Intelligence<\/a>, you will know of the considerable work that has gone into the Unwritten Ground Rules or UGRs concept over recent years. You would also know that the work hasn\u2019t stopped either! Below is an insight into recent work into perceptual lenses…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We\u2018ve defined UGRs as people\u2019s perceptions of \u2018this is the way we do things around here\u2019. UGRs dictate people\u2019s behaviour, yet they are rarely if ever discussed openly.<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, we\u2019ve invested heavily into creating a methodology that enables organisations to understand and improve their culture using UGR-related tools.<\/p>\n

More recently, we\u2019ve studied how UGRs impact on an individual\u2019s thinking.<\/p>\n

We think UGRs create perceptual lenses for all of us.<\/p>\n

Perceptual lenses are the way in which each of us views events, based on past experiences, such that we filter events to conform with our existing views.<\/p>\n

Here is an example:<\/p>\n

Suppose that I have a perception that all men are aggressive drivers. When I see a car being driven aggressively, without being able to see the driver I will likely say to myself – \u2018There\u2019s another useless male driver\u2019. When this is confirmed, I\u2019ll utter knowingly to myself \u2018Typical\u2019.<\/p>\n

Now when this happens again, there is a fair chance I\u2019ll go through the same thought process. Without being able to see the driver, I\u2019ll think \u2018There goes another useless man\u2019. But when the driver is revealed to be a woman, my thoughts will modify quickly to \u2018A woman! Now that\u2019s a surprise!\u2019.<\/p>\n

This is an example of my \u2018perceptual lenses\u2019 filtering information in a way that suits my pre-existing viewpoint. When I see an aggressive male driver, my viewpoint is confirmed. When I see an aggressive female driver, I rationalise the observation by saying \u2018this is only an aberration\u2019.<\/p>\n

So it goes with UGRs.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s presume that there is a UGR in place that says:<\/p>\n