Can We Please Stop Perpetuating the Myth of Perception is Reality?
One of my favorite analogies is the Indian parable, The Blind Men and the Elephant. The thing about parables is that they hold wisdom; an experienced truth. They’re handed down through history in hopes that other folks will learn from previously-made mistakes.
I’ve been in software development since the mid-90s, and something that’s stood out is people’s unwavering desire to ignore wisdom of the past, and continual attempts to build a better mouse trap. I’ve heard the phrase “perception is reality” enough times to make me cringe.
The irksome bit is the wholehearted belief that one person’s perception is truer than actuality. But here’s the thing, like the blind men experiencing an elephant for the first time, perception isn’t truth. It’s a singular viewpoint, or opinion, and often a cloudy one. That way of thinking can bite you in the ass when assumptions (or decisions) are made based on perceptions.
The human brain loves to make connections. It’s how we communicate, form opinions, and make decisions. It’s why, right or wrong, we make presumptions, and fill in the blanks when presented with missing information.
Unconsciously, our brains fill in the missing line of the middle charter, seeing it as the letter “E.” Using the first letter, “P,” and the last letter, “T” as points of reference, we’re tricked into interpreting the word as “PET.” But what if the middle character was written by itself?
Three horizontal lines can have multiple meanings, but what if this perceived letter “E” is nothing more than a trio of meaningless simple lines? Or an art project? It becomes subjective, and our perception doesn’t reflect the truth. Treating it as such is dangerous.
In software development, we do the same thing. When there are gaps in information, the same filling in based on perceptions can happen. Take metrics. The development team can be working their collective asses off, yet when you check out their burndown chart, it looks like a plateau.
Does this flatline mean that no one’s working? It could, but the point of Agile is to have conversations, learn from history, and our experiences (empiricism, sound familiar?). Rather than form unreliable, biased opinions, it encourages uncovering truths. Perception is often skewed.
“And so our minds take shortcuts. Like betting for the best horse in a race, our brain constantly chooses the most likely interpretation of what we see.” — Melissa Hogenboom
Insisting that the word spells PET, that an elephant looks like a rope, or that developers need to be micromanaged based on their metrics, gives into the dangers of perceptions. It feeds the status quo, never disrupting business as usual. Isn’t one of the tenants of Agile, disruption? It’s why I despise folks putting so much credence on how things appear, over reality.
So let go of unreliable perceptions. Seek the truth. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools. What’s holding you back?
