Frame blindness occurs when decision makers view an issue
through one mental window (Hoch & Kunreuther, 2001, p. 139). The danger of
doing this, of course, is that other points of view, ideas, or related issues
may be missed. Three of the dangers posed with frame blindness are
overconfidence, the illusion of completeness, and frame conflict (Hoch &
Kunreuther, 2001, pp. 140-141).
The illusion of completeness happens when the decision maker
believes he/she has all of the necessary information to make the decision; the,
“I’ve got this. I know exactly what to do” attitude. In my personal life, I had
a situation like this with my son, who was 11 at the time. He is a shy kid and
I am an overprotective mom. One day, he came home from school and told me that
a kid was picking on him in school. My son’s friend, Keith, stood up for him
and told the other kid to leave my son alone. This led to an invitation to meet
behind the cafeteria to fight after school. My son was afraid and he and his
friend decided not to go. However, when he got home, he told me all about what
happened. I thought that the other kid told them to meet him behind the
cafeteria and was afraid for my son and his friend. I wanted this boy and his
parents contacted and talked to about bullying. So, I called the school and
spoke with the assistant principal who, in turn, spoke with my son, Keith, and
the other boy. While the boy admitted to calling my son names, he said that it
was actually Keith who extended the invitation to fight. Keith reluctantly admitted
it when confronted by the principal. The other boy was afraid to fight, too,
and did not go to the cafeteria either. Looking back, had I known that it was
Keith that was looking for a fight, I would have probably just called his mom
and worked it out with her and our sons and asked the school to discuss the
incident with the child. Instead, I probably appeared to school staff like a
crazy woman demanding that something be done to this kid. Believing that I had
the complete picture in this instance caused me to do something that I may not
have done had I had all of the facts.
As for overconfidence, this occurs when we misjudge what we
know. My husband and I are currently evaluating whether or not to sell our
small 2 bedroom house and buy something larger. We are confident that we know
what we can/cannot afford. We differ on some things, though. I would like to
buy a piece of land in town and build a house on it. My husband, on the other
hand, feels as though it will be too expensive to build a house. Neither of us
has actually checked into the cost of building; we are simply making
assumptions. We have also not checked into interest rates, etc… although we
still think we know what we can afford and are looking for. I am sure that once
we finally do contact professionals we will find out that we don’t know as much
as we think we do about any aspect of buying, building, or financing.
Finally, there is frame conflict. This happens when
individuals’ agendas clash. This happens frequently in my current position.
Unfortunately, people always think they know how other people’s jobs should be
done based on the effects on their own. From my point of view, EagleVision
training should be just-in-time training because, let’s face it, if you don’t
use it, you lose it. We want
instructors to train in the term just prior to their scheduled EagleVision
course. Many Directors of Academics feel as though instructors should receive
training any time they want so that they are available whenever a campus needs
them, even if it is at the last minute.
Instructors want to receive training because they have had experiences
in the past with their courses being canceled due to low enrollment and they
feel as though EagleVision training will help them solve that problem. This has
caused friction and much discussion throughout the years but there have not
been any changes made to when instructors train. I think that others are
looking through a single mental frame…one that suits them. This frame conflict
and lack of consideration of other frames can create problems. I try to influence others to see the
issue through my mental frame.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes, it doesn’t. My feeling is that you
cannot please all of the people all of the time.
In these instances, I see the benefit of using other mental
frames. They may not always change my mind but doing so will at least allow me
to consider the perspectives of others and make more informed decisions. It is
very tempting to make decisions solely on my first instinct. After reading this
chapter, I think it is essential not to make decisions blind to the possible
frames. I have learned that there
are many strategies that can help me eliminate my mental frames. Strategies
such as focusing on the objective and not getting pulled in to other issues
along the way can be helpful. Thinking about assumptions I already have about
the issue that may or may not be accurate and trying to move past those. Asking
others for their points of view will give me other ways to see the issue and
allow me to make a better decision because of it.
Reference: Hoch, S. J., & Kunreuther, H. C. (2005).
Wharton on making decisions. (1 ed.). John Wiley & Sons Inc.
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