The more information you have, the less you know
Karl Heider was the first anthropologist to use the term Rashomon effect. His theory refers to how people understand and describe complex and ambiguous situations. The name was completely banal, based on Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon, in which all the conflicting eye-witness accounts of a crime are reported as true.
Let's describe the whole effect using, for example, the case of a marketing department in which each person plays a role in creating various campaigns. As in the story, everyone has their own point of view and own truth, which results in subjective distortions. Each individual tends to perceive things through their abilities and experiences. These are blind spots. It cannot objectively be stated that only one or two members are right. In a sense, everyone is right and brings their own professional perspective to the matter.
As one of the characters in the story, Rabbi Shemuel ben Nachmani, put it : "We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.” That is why consensus is so difficult. Heider thought this effect was a natural source for particularly tricky problems. But there is no need to worry about it; instead, you need to learn to work with it.
Step 1: Perform a cost-benefit analysis
The designer claims the problem is on the main page, while the IT team argues the mistake is in setting up a responsive website. Then the media agency states that your ads on social networks are losing the trust of customers, and you should consider PPC ... Once you've gone through all the feedback, you'll probably find some "low-hanging fruit" that can be plucked. For example, that the IT team is right and that a responsive website is a real necessity today, and the website needs to be adapted to the mobile devices that users are using more and more.
There may be other cases where, say, you have the means to make a change but won't agree to it, maybe due to personal interest. You have the right to be sceptical, but keep in mind that your disagreement may stem from your own personal preference for a particular solution or platform. Beware of your own distortions. Remember: you are not a customer. Some ideas are worth a try if you have the resources.
Step 2: Prioritise your ideas
Based on a cost-benefit analysis, you'll probably find that your team may be right to some extent, but it will require so many resources and produce so little result that it doesn't make sense. You may realise that many other ideas could be effective, but they need to be postponed because your team doesn't immediately have all the resources. Set a clear priority for what your team should address first, what you should do next, and what should be added to (pending) items.
Step 3: Build hypotheses
If you have taken a scientific approach, then what your team has really given you is a set of hypotheses about what changes need to be made. Work with anyone who has suggested that the idea turn into a testable hypothesis.
Step 4: Test your ideas
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you or your team think: it is the customer who will decide. Reduce risk and increase your chances of successful change by testing your customers. Create an A/B test to find out how customers respond. Some changes may be too large to be fully tested. Divide them into sections that will provide a timely sign of success or failure, and give them a try.
Step 5: Appreciate everyone's contribution
If, for example, the test results show that longer content on a page works better, you can review the data with the designer and explain why you won't change the page based on a new design proposal. However, let your staff know that their opinions do matter.
This approach is the best way to overcome the Rashomon effect, not least in these uncertain times when it is not easy to come up with a functional solution to the situations that companies and teams have to deal with.
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