Feedback and transparency are often hailed as unalloyed benefits of a workplace with robust psychological safety.  They don’t come completely free from risk, however, as new research from Rutgers University illustrates.

The study suggests that when experts are criticized, they can often double down with overly precise predictions that simply make things worse.  They react this way because they view the criticism as an attack on their identity.

“When you tell experts that they’re wrong, it matters where that ‘You’re wrong’ is coming from,” the researchers say. “If an inexperienced group of novices say, ‘You’re wrong,’ then it’s not very threatening to the identity of the expert. But if an expert says, ‘You’re wrong,’ then the criticized experts often feel their identity as an expert is threatened.”

Self-harm

Sadly, by doubling down on one’s original mistake, the experts only tend to make the situation worse, which further harms them and their reputation, as well, of course, as those directly affected by their actions.

“Presumably, any negative feedback should tell you that you should be more uncertain about your judgments. But that’s not what we found, which is a little concerning for experts themselves and their organizations,” the researchers say.

So how can experts overcome this tendency?  The key, the researchers argue, is self-affirmation.  Experts should remind themselves that they got to their position of status as a result of their expertise and their knowledge, but that learning from one’s mistakes is equally important to support their continued development.

Experts should not be viewed as being immune from criticism or perfect in everything they do, but rather as people with high levels of knowledge that remain fallible and open to making mistakes.

Psychological safety

“It’s important for managers and business leaders to think about how they deliver negative feedback to professionals,” the researchers explain. “Creating organizational cultures in which errors and mistakes are accepted and seen as opportunities for learning can be crucial. Psychological safety can fuel this resilience.”

We are already living in an age where expertise is under threat from “alternative facts” and a general criticism of knowledge and wisdom, so it’s important that experts are able to absorb criticism and learn from any mistakes they make so that their testimony can be fully relied upon in these uncertain times.

“Part of the inspiration for this paper was watching how experts got things wrong, and also kept doubling down,” the researchers conclude. “Our trust in experts has really taken a hit. Not just related to COVID-19, but going back to Enron and the 2008 financial crisis, and with the internet and social media, it’s now very easy to criticize experts.”