Ladder of Inference

LADDER OF INFERENCE

The Ladder of Inference is a model of how people process information (presented in Overcoming Organizational Defenses by Chris Argyris and The Fifth Discipline Field Book by Peter Senge and colleagues).

Picture a ladder.... we begin at the base with Real Data & Experience, the kind that would be captured by a movie camera that didn't lie. The first rung of the ladder represents a set of Selected Data & Experience that we pay attention to. This is the data or experiences we select because of our past experiences, values, or beliefs and we probably overlook anything that doesn’t match what we ‘expect’ to see.

Going up another rung of the ladder, we then Affix Meaning to what we have selected to see, and develop Assumptions (third rung). These assumptions then become the basis for our Conclusions (fourth rung). We then finally develop Beliefs (fifth rung) or reinforce those we already had. These Beliefs then form the basis of our Actions (top of the ladder), which ultimately create additional Real Data & Experience.

Here’s a story to illustrate…. Several Leaders are at an Area Council Team meeting and I’m presenting the proposed budget for the coming year. I speak enthusiastically about all the ways the Area money could be spent. The Leaders appear interested but near the end of my report, I see Suzy Leader looking away – she covers her mouth with her hand. Suzy then asks to see the proposed budget in writing rather than talking about it. The other Leaders ask for it in writing also. Suzy obviously was bored – she probably thinks that I am incapable of making a sound budget. Now that I think of it, Suzy has never liked my ideas. Clearly, she’s out to discredit me as treasurer; she’s a power- hungry jerk anyway! By the time I return to my seat, I’ve made a decision. I’m not going to include anything in my budget report to explain anything. Suzy would just take exception to it anyway and use it against me.

In those few seconds before I take my seat, I have climbed up what Chris Argyris calls a "ladder of inference," – a common mental pathway of increasing abstraction, often leading to misguided beliefs: * I started with the observable data: Suzy’s comment, which is so self-evident that it would show up on a videotape recorder . . . * . . . I selected some details about Suzy's behavior: her glance away from me and her apparent yawn. (I didn't notice her listening intently one moment before) . . . * . . . I added some meanings of my own, based on the culture around me (that Suzy wanted me to finish up) . . . * . . . I moved rapidly up to assumptions about Suzy's current state (she's bored)… . * . . . and I concluded that Suzy, in general, thinks I'm incompetent. In fact, I now believe that Suzy (and probably everyone whom I associate with her) is dangerously opposed to me . . . * . . . thus, as I reach the top of the ladder, I'm withholding information. How we view the world and how we act influence what we select to “see,” the interpretations we make and the conclusions we draw. This then leads us to act in ways that produce results that usually reinforce the assumptions we made.

Of course, trying to live your life without adding meaning or making conclusions would be an inefficient and boring way to live. However, you can improve your communications through reflection and by using the ladder of inference in three ways: * Becoming more aware of your own thinking and reasoning (reflection); * Making your thinking and reasoning more visible to others (advocacy); * Inquiring into others' thinking and reasoning (inquiry).

Once Suzy and I understand the concepts behind the "ladder of inference," we have a safe way to stop climbing the ladder and ask several questions:

* What is the observable data behind that statement? * Does everyone agree on what the data is? * Can you run me through your reasoning? * How did we get from that data to these abstract assumptions? * When you said "[your inference]," did you mean "[my interpretation of it]"?

I can ask for data in an open-ended way: "Suzy, what was your reaction to this presentation?" I can test my assumptions: "Suzy, are you bored?" Or I can simply test the observable data: "You want the budget in writing, Suzy?" To which she might reply: "Yeah, I just can’t make sense of budget stuff when I hear it. I have to see it to understand what you’re talking about."

This type of conversation is not easy. For example, Chris Argyris cautions people to be careful when a fact seems especially self-evident. If your manner suggests that it must be equally self-evident to everyone else, you may cut off the chance to test it. A fact, no matter how obvious it seems, isn't really substantiated until it's verified independently – by more than one person's observation, or by a technological record (a tape recording or photograph).

It is very helpful if you take notice of when you're climbing The Ladder of Inference – drawing conclusions and making assumptions – throughout the day. For instance, if you conclude someone's a jerk, ask yourself what it is about the person that gives you this opinion; if you find yourself strongly disagreeing with someone else, ask yourself what it is about your own opinion that's so meaningful to you; if you find yourself getting tense and resisting someone else's opinion or request of you, ask yourself what it is about the situation that makes you think you have no choice.

Some other good, all-purpose questions in these situations are, "why do I need to be right in this case?" and, "what's the worse that can happen if I just go with the flow right now?"

When we just take notice and question ourselves about our assumptions, space is created for the possibility that our belief may not be the only way of seeing something. At the very least, we'll have fewer disagreements and a little less stress. Your team might find that using the Ladder of Inference is a very healthy communication tool. There's something exhilarating about showing other people the steps of your reasoning. They may or may not agree with you, but they can see how you got there. And you may often be surprised yourself to see how you got there, once you trace out the steps to your conclusions.