When [Wrong] Feels [Right]

Individual-level Normalization of Deviance

On the individual level, while there exist many factors that make people insensitive to deviant practice, three stand out and are worth noting:

1. Work overload and urgency leading to shortcuts – Under workload pressure, people tend to take risks and shortcuts that necessitate deviation from standards. However, taking shortcuts and departing from norms frequently without incident or negative consequences can be perceived as rewarding. Furthermore, such behavior increases the tendency to normalize the deviance as the associated risks would be assumed not to have any ill effects.
2. Unrealistic self-confidence coupled with lack of oversight – let’s revisit the seat belt example. Imagine someone driving to school daily and not wearing a seat belt. Nothing bad happened. As time goes by without any incident, they grow more careless about seat belts. They start to think, “Why wear a seat belt? It is only a short distance; I have not worn one for a long time, and nothing happened; why something will happen now”? Finally, several months passed, and they got involved in a severe accident. They got seriously hurt. In hindsight, they would say, “if only I were wearing a seat belt.”
3. Complacency coupled with overconfidence – The accumulation of extensive knowledge and experience can sometimes lead to complacency and overconfidence, rendering people insensitive to deviant practice and oblivious of their surroundings.

Micro/Macro-Level Normalization of Deviance

On the micro/macro levels, the normalization of deviance is fueled by the absence of strong and committed leadership. Anyone can deviate from a standard, but no one will spot the flaw when such behavior becomes saturated within a team, group, or organization due to a lack of leadership and preventive systems. Every individual becomes blind to the problem. Everyone becomes adapted to the deviant behavior to a point where obvious flaws become norms. Under such circumstances, normalization of deviance becomes a social norm, like water is to the fish. No one feels it exists until they are taken out of it. It is best to elaborate on this by referring to the experiment of the five monkeys.

[Unknown Source]

“A group of scientists placed five monkeys in a cage and in the middle they set a ladder leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling by a string. Every time a monkey went up the ladder to fetch the bananas, the scientists showered the monkeys with cold water. After some time, every time a monkey went up the ladder, the other monkeys beat him up to avoid the cold shower. Later on at some point, none of the monkeys dared to climb the ladder regardless of the temptation. Scientists then substituted one of the monkeys. As expected, the new monkey did what any new member would do; i.e. go up the ladder. Immediately the other monkeys beat him up. After several beatings, the new member learned not to climb the ladder even though he never knew why. A second monkey was substituted, and the same occurred. The first monkey participated in the beating of the second monkey. The replacements repeated until what was left was a group of five monkeys that, even though they never received a cold shower, continued to beat any monkey who attempted to climb up the ladder. If we were to ask the new group of monkeys why the beatings are taking place, the answer would probably be – We don’t know; that’s just how things are done around here.-”

The above experiment is interesting, but what does it really teach us? Probably the most important lesson we learn from it is that we should constantly challenge the status quo, ask about things that do not feel right, and never blindly accept irrational or unexplained behavior. We should always consider our gut feeling and not get trapped into what might evolve and broaden out to a full-fledge normalization of deviance.

In her review of the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986, Professor Diane Vaughan found that flying the shuttle with a flawed O-ring sealing was the proximal cause of the disaster. The O-ring was used to seal the sections of the SRB (Solid Rocket Boosters), and its performance was under question at low temperatures. However, Vaughan’s research showed that the root cause went way beyond the O-ring and the specific decision to fly the shuttle. The core issue was the prevailing mindset at NASA to deviate from known standards and accept known risks continuously.

The Conundrum of Groupthink

Have you ever attended a critical meeting where your opinion differed from others, yet you adopted the majority’s decision? This is known as Groupthink, a cognitive bias first introduced by psychologist Irving L. Janis in 1972. It is the tendency for people to set aside their beliefs and ideas in favor of the opinion of the rest of the group. Groupthink is one aspect that sets the scene for the normalization of deviance to thrive within a team or organization. Groupthink can lead to collective rationalization and lack of accountability while ignoring critical aspects under pressure to acquiesce, ultimately leading to poor decisions.

Our Role as Leaders

A Wiseman once said: “Business proprietors who build a corporate environment where employees find constant opportunities for robbery are solely at fault.” The moral of this statement is that people within an organization grow more accustomed to wrongdoing; the more wrongdoing occurs with no one bothering to stop it. That’s why leadership plays a significant role in combating the normalization of deviance. Being there, being seen, and being heard is how to fight this phenomenon. Fortunately, the normalization of deviance is not an inevitable consequence. We can defeat it at all levels. It is our responsibility as leaders to:

• Set the standard by promoting high integrity at the workplace. Be “There,” be “Seen, and be “Heard.”
• Never gauge acceptable performance based only on past successful experience. Past success can lead to dangerous complacency. Instead, measure performance against a defined and effective metrics system and evaluate success based on what was done and NOT done. However, it is worth noting that metrics are also subject to manipulation, so it is crucial to visit, audit, and reevaluate your success metrics continuously.
• Procedural compliance must become non-negotiable.
• Take risk assessment seriously and device systems and safeguards to flag even minor deviations.
• Beware of Groupthink. Promote diversity of opinion, encourage others to speak up, and report violations. Take into account all ideas and suggestions.
• Develop training programs to raise awareness about the normalization of deviance and other pitfalls within the organization.
• Encourage all subordinates to take the driver’s seat irrespective of the task at hand.
• When it comes to safety, organizational hierarchy does not exist. We all become leaders.