Recognising assumptions, conflicts of interest and influences that can distort objectivity
Professional judgement does not happen in a vacuum.
Our decisions can be influenced by previous experiences, relationships, expectations, first impressions, authority, incentives and information we already believe to be true.
The difficulty is that these influences often feel like objective judgement from the inside.
This session helps trainees develop greater awareness of the difference between:
“This is what I think.”
and
“What is influencing the way I am thinking?”
A real developmental issue: Metacognition and ethical objectivity.
The developmental challenge is not removing all bias, that would be unrealistic.
It is strengthening the trainee's ability to notice when bias, conflict of interest or undue influence may be affecting professional judgement and then deliberately seek better evidence or another perspective.
SAICA competency connection
This aligns especially strongly with professional objectivity.
SAICA states that trainees should not allow bias, conflict of interest or undue influence to override professional or business judgement. Its examples include applying professional scepticism, corroborating client explanations and not changing a sample merely because evidence is inconvenient to obtain.
The same principle is repeated within professional ethics as one of the fundamental expectations of trainee conduct.
This session includes:
Why a Training Officer would choose this session
This creates an excellent bridge between positive psychology/self-awareness, behavioural science, professional scepticism and ethics.
Rather than telling trainees simply to “be objective”, it helps them understand how objectivity can be compromised without conscious intent.
