Why do so many managers struggle to trust their teams? The answer might lie in our own cognitive blind spots.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect
Dunning and Kruger’s research uncovered a fascinating cognitive bias: most people believe they’re better than average, typically rating themselves between the 50th and 80th percentiles in competence. However, this self-assessment is usually incorrect.
Those with the least ability tend to overestimate their competence, while top performers frequently underestimate theirs.
These tendencies lead to two significant outcomes:
- Low performers overestimate their abilities and make confident but poor decisions.
- High performers undervalue themselves and hesitate to take action, assuming others are equally capable.
While the Dunning-Kruger effect applies to self-assessment, it also raises questions about our ability to evaluate others. I suspect this challenge extends to a manager's evaluation of their team's abilities, creating a paradox that can significantly hinder their growth and success.
Bottlenecks and Missed Opportunities
Managers, especially those transitioning from technical roles to leadership positions, often misjudge their teams’ capabilities.
This is particularly true when the manager was once the team’s expert. Their own technical competence can distort their assessment of others’ skills, leading to micromanagement and missed growth opportunities.
Here’s what this misjudgment might look like in practice:
- Reluctance to Delegate: Managers cling to their technical tasks, creating unnecessary bottlenecks.
- Stunted Team Growth: By not trusting their teams, managers prevent skill development and hinder overall performance.
Why Managers Must Take the First Leap of Faith
The original Dunning-Kruger research includes a caveat: once someone becomes aware of the gap, it closes because they begin learning more about the subject. However, continuing development requires opportunities to experiment, make mistakes, and learn. For managers, this is something that can only happen if they step back and trust their teams.
In essence, the paradox of management is that a team will remain incompetent unless the manager assumes it isn’t.
Managers need a clear picture of their own abilities and those of others. Sometimes, that clarity is only found in a leap of faith. To nurture a competent, self-reliant team, managers must trust their people enough to let them rise to the occasion. They must create an environment where team members feel supported to take risks and grow.
This means they, as managers, need to take a risk first and trust their team.
Creating an Environment for Growth
The Dunning-Kruger effect teaches us that recognizing limitations (our own and others’) is the starting point for growth. As a manager, this means trusting your team, delegating tasks, and resisting the urge to take over.
When you assume competence, you create the conditions for it to flourish.
Resources
Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121–1134. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.6.1121