Perception filters

Perception is the process in which a person interprets organizes and maintains informations from their environment. Perception filtering is in this process the subconscious selection on a subset out of a large number of present stimuli at any time . This focus is individual and determined by biological, cultural and language prerequisites as well as values and thinking styles . The process is necessary since the cognitive and physical capacity of individuals to process and respond to a large number of informations is limited . Because of this filtering, persons exposed to the same set of informations can end up with a different perception and draw other conclusions. This can also lead to different attributions made by managers and workers explaining workplace behavior and misunderstandings in project management .

The decision-making in project management is characterized by dynamic complexity. This is determined by the underlying of the problem itself and the "behavioral complexity" of group effects. .It is necessary for a project manager to manage the interactions between stakeholders effectively to ensure successful cooperation towards project outcomes and realization of benefits. The three main pillars of communication management are Planning communication, distributing communication and monitoring the impact of communication to increase the understanding among various stakeholders, providing accurate unbiased Information and minimize risk . Perception filters are a significant factor in considering how communication should be delivered.

Types of filters and filtering

• Biological/ Genetic
• Language/ Culture
• Believes/ Values
• Thinking styles

Relative Interpretation

It is known that the acknowledgement of a message is a personal interpretation of the message. The differences in perceptions become bigger the more descriptions are use and the more feelings are involved.

Translation by filters

Filters can lead to an individual translation of a message. For example, the designation; you do it like a sales manager depends on the recipient's attitude towards the sales team and their previous experience.

Blocking by filters

When a long message is delivered, filters can cause parts of the message to be blocked. If a message includes emotional and business related parts, the several parts are referred to the personal framework and can be disregarded as being not relevant.

Project Manager behaviour

The need for planning communication to match with the stakeholders needs and expectations includes effective measures and feedback mechanisms. Beside the planning and distribution of information, monitoring the impact of the communications is a responsibility of the project manager. Taking the existence of perceptual filters into account, this additional process increases the understanding and resolve communication issues to minimize the risk .

Mind dancing

With manging the perception filters actively a project manager is able to influence the stakeholders expectations. This "mind dancing" approach creates the opportunity to have satisfied customers although the project scope is not completely fulfilled. As a project is not only determined by the results but more by the customers satisfaction the success can be increased with this approach. The first step is recognizing the existing of perception and filters in projects and teams. With this acknowledgement and ability to use this filters, strong project teams and stakeholder connections can be formed. Negative filters can be compensated with increasing positives for example by finding a personal connection. The most common example is to find a shared interest. Having something in common, is a starting point of building trust and therefore is lowering negative filters. Exploring the others interests besides the project and work lowering the walls and opens the filters one after the other. With this increased knowledge it is possible to understand the others personal project interests better and gain a better foundation to make decisions on .