{"id":5441,"date":"2022-01-24T15:39:12","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T15:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/itchapters.com\/usa\/2022\/01\/24\/hanlons-razor-key-to-better-business-relationships\/"},"modified":"2022-01-24T15:39:12","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T15:39:12","slug":"hanlons-razor-key-to-better-business-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/itchapters.com\/usa\/2022\/01\/24\/hanlons-razor-key-to-better-business-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"Hanlon’s Razor: Key to Better Business Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"

IT Consulting, Training & Staffing Resource Hub
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January 25th, 2022 | BRM<\/a><\/h2>\n

People deserve to be treated fairly and with mutual respect and compassion. Doing this for your team can yield significant rewards manifested through higher morale, increased productivity, and higher quality of work.<\/p>\n

We often hear others around us speak about our colleagues in unflattering ways, using descriptors like \u201cparanoid,\u201d \u201clazy,\u201d or \u201cflaky\u201d etc. Harsh judgements leading to demeaning labels without understanding the nature of the problem are commonplace in work. If we think about it, most of us can probably recall this as a daily occurrence taking place thanks to categorical judgments, emotional outbursts, or unjustified sharp retorts. Hanlon’s Razor<\/em><\/strong><\/a> can help. A common adage or rule of thumb applying to the principle of reflection and explanation regarding events that have taken place, states: “One should not attribute to malicious intent everything that can be logically explained by elementary incompetence<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

What is Hanlon\u2019s Razor?<\/h2>\n

Inspired by Occam\u2019s Razor <\/strong>which states that the simplest explanation is most often the best, Hanlon\u2019s Razor is also philosophical concept which alternatively states that not all events occur due to someone\u2019s ill will or malicious intent, but rather more typically as the result of ordinary incompetence or simple mistake. It reminds us that we should not judge so quickly and so harshly as is increasingly common today. As human beings, we all deserve mutual respect and benefit of the doubt before assigning motives to actions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The easiest way to understand Hanlon\u2019s Razor is to use an example:<\/h4>\n

Imagine a situation wherein, unlike your colleagues, you did not receive a notice about an upcoming meeting with the executives. Ego, ambition, and self-preservation \u2013 relics of our evolutionary pathways \u2013 invite us to make assumptions that the slight was intentional; someone, <\/em>for some reason specifically set out to bar us from attendance. Hanlon\u2019s Razor, a peacekeeping premise, invites us conversely to drop the \u201cfight or flight\u201d instinct, and consider the possibility that this occurrence may easily have been a simple oversight like getting an email address wrong. In short \u2013 don\u2019t take it personally without knowing all the facts.<\/strong> By adjusting our attitude, we may realize that what we assumed to be malicious intent was just human error and worth forgiving.<\/p>\n

The Origin of Hanlon’s Razor<\/h2>\n

The modern formulation of the concept is attributed to Robert J. Hanlon, who used it in 1980 in his collection of various anecdotes related to “Murphy’s Law” (i.e., \u201cwhat can go wrong will go wrong\u201d).<\/p>\n

What to know about Hanlon’s Razor? Why is it relevant and worth knowing?<\/h4>\n

Like Occam\u2019s Razor, it emphasizes finding the most probable cause and explanation to events that have taken place<\/p>\n

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  • It differs in that it reminds us that mistakes don\u2019t happen primarily due to ill will but more often as a result of ignorance, emotion, or simple human error \u2013 aka incompetence<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  • Applying the adage means embracing more human-specific traits such as mercy and presumption of innocence (or conversely as it applies in courtrooms: one must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt)<\/li>\n
  • By applying it, you can effect more harmonious work relationships, a climate of safe expression where creativity and ideation flourish, heightened morale and project ownership, and with them, increased productivity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Exceptions are When Hanlon’s Razor Doesn’t Work.<\/h2>\n

    Hanlon\u2019s Razor, however, should not be taken as a guiding principle of direction action and absolute truth. Indeed, there are many events that do arise as through malicious intent. Hackers don\u2019t accidentally break through a company\u2019s firewall to steal data \u201cby accident\u201d for example. One of the key challenges faced in court rooms is determining motives for a potential crime. Without establishing motives, conviction is a difficult premise as defendants are innocent UNTIL proven guilty. Determining if there was profit or personal benefit is fundamental in making that judgement, and where there are clearly established motives, Hanlon\u2019s Razor should not be applied.<\/p>\n

    Practical Application of the Hanlon Razor Principle<\/h2>\n

    Practical application of Hanlon\u2019s principle is actually relatively straight forward in that it asks us to stop positing reasons for presumed affronts and instead to step back, and reexamine the facts, i.e. stop conjuring reasons why something bad may have happened to you.<\/em> But why waste mental energy conjuring reasons we were attacked when we could lower our heart rates, increase our happiness, and improve our outlook by instead assuming the affront was accidental until the preponderance of evidence tells us otherwise? In most simple cases, mistakes are unintentional. We do ourselves and others benefit by holding off on the assumptions. Applying this principle in the workplace can help you and your firm to ensure that your work environment remains healthy, supportive, collaborative, and most importantly, productive.<\/p>\n

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    IT Consulting, Training & Staffing Resource Hub January 25th, 2022 | BRM People deserve to be treated fairly and with mutual respect and compassion. Doing this for your team can yield significant rewards manifested through higher morale, increased productivity, and higher quality of work. 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