Case file
Reactive Devaluation
- Filed under
- Not Enough Meaning
The charge
Reactive devaluation is devaluing a proposal because it comes from a rival, opponent, or distrusted source.
How it operates
Suspicion about the source contaminates evaluation of the content, so identical ideas get judged differently depending on who offers them.
Logged incidents
- Incident 01
Sales rejects a pricing change once finance proposes it.
- Incident 02
A union dismisses a real concession because management offered it.
- Incident 03
A product team ignores security advice after a past conflict with the security lead.
What to watch for
Ask: Am I judging the idea, or what it means that this particular person suggested it?
Recommended action
Anonymize proposals or score them against pre-set criteria before revealing the source.
Known associates
- Out-Group Homogeneity BiasOut-group homogeneity bias is seeing people outside your group as more similar to each other than they really…
- Cross-Race EffectCross-race effect is the tendency to be worse at distinguishing faces of races one has had less experience…
- In-Group FavoritismIn-group favoritism is preferring, trusting, or rewarding people seen as part of your own group.
- Halo EffectHalo effect is when one positive trait or first impression spills over into unrelated judgments about the…
- Cheerleader EffectCheerleader effect is the tendency for people to seem more attractive or appealing when seen in a group than…
- Positivity EffectPositivity effect is giving relatively more weight to positive information or memories than negative ones,…
Source of record