Why don’t I see what you see?
What you and I see may be different.
Who is right?
There are lots of examples of optical illusion drawings but I particularly like this one which I came across when I was working on a project to do with managing inventory in a warehouse. It seemed particularly relevant when the business problem I was being asked to solve was to understand how much stock was being held in the warehouse.
When a group of people looks at the same picture, presentation or set of numbers, the chances are they won’t be drawn to the same image. A finance person is much more likely to jump straight to the numbers, someone who is analytical may look for patterns. Or we may be drawn to an object or phrase that has a particular association for us.
I’ve even seen situations where people have been ridiculed because they see something different - a version of what’s going on in the picture above. ‘What do you mean there are 3 rods lying on the floor (you idiot) - it’s obvious there are 4’!
When I’m asked to solve business problems for a client I love to draw on the perceptions of everyone in the team so I’d suggest that when you sense there are differences you could try these 3 tactics:
Ask everyone what they see (eg how many rods), what numbers they think are important, what they like/dislike about you are looking at. You might be surprised at the responses
If there are some interesting differences, explore why - in a constructive not critical way. You might learn something.
Be aware that we all have filters - yours aren’t better than mine - they are just different.
Please do get in touch if you want help with solving business problems and managing change: [email protected]
