Perception filters

Perception is the process in which a person interprets organizes and maintains informations from their environment. The theory of perception filtering can be derived from Shannon and Weaver Model for Communication as a form of information entropy that is created during the coding and decoding of a message from the deliverer to the receipant. 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 behaviour and misunderstandings in project management . Acknowledging the exsistance of perceptional filters and actively using them can be an important communication skill for mangers adressing messages and achieve the intented behaviour.

What is Perception

Individuals in todays organizations are exposed to a growing amount of different stimuli within a day. This can be E-Mails, calls, texts messages, direct conversations, social media or podcasts from the CEO to all employees. But being exposed to all of these stimuli not does not mean that they are perceived. The goal of organizational communication is to influence the receptors perception and to adapt, confirm or change behaviour according to the senders intention. The terminology of perception can be found in the philosophy, psychology, sociology and biology but has their roots in the cognitive theory . In the cognitive theory perceptions are described as a "generalized cognitive frameworks that give form and meaning to experience, and contain general knowledge to a domain” . In an organizational context this can be described as a dynamic psychological process responsible for attending [...] organizing and interpreting sensory data . This process of trying to fit new informations into existing schemas frames or mental models is following a standardized procedure. The first one is scanning for clues to connect informations in the environment to existing frames. This can be based on characteristics, experiences or tacit knowledge. Secondly this leads to an interpretation of the meaning of the informations. Based on the scanning and subsequently interpretation of the messages the third step is a response or action. The influence of perception on decision making is determined by two perspectives. One one hand the heuristics and biases containing emotions as a primary driver in a fast, automatic process and on the other hand the cognitive process which is slow and logical . Perception filters are influencing each phases of this process and this is happening in a heuristical, fast and autonomous way. It is not logical or actively influenceable by the person.

Types of filters (to be edited)

• Biological/ Genetic
• Language/ Culture
• Believes/ Values
• Feelings/ Emotions

Family and environmental circumstances are also influencing business behaviour and the reception of messages. A bad week can make a person more responsive to confrontation and critical healthcare situations of a belonging can influence the attitude towards the importance of business decisions.

Figure 1: Filters Model Own illustartion following

The Filters model

The filters model is the theory of the outcome of a combination of filters forming humans behaviour. According to the theory, it is not possible to select certain filters so that the recorded message is always influenced to a different extent by all the filters. They can be simplified sorted into positive and negative filters and the stronger this filters are the higher is the conflict potential. The puplication of a new IT-System from the company x for example can adress a positive filter related to the natural enthusiasm for changes with the negative filter in relation to bad experiences with the company. Additionally the model assumes that also all other filters like the personal background can not be ignored. The final reception of the message and the following actions that an individual takes are then depent on the weightning of the different filters.

The Perception Filtering Process

People are learning and developing references and frameworks in every moment, building up their own reality. This also applies in a business surrounding where a uniform environment creates a common room for for perception but it is additionally influenced by predispositions, emotions, values, experiences and culture. All of these factors can act as filters influencing perceptions of messages and therefore the behaviour in each situations so they have to be recognized as well in business communication. Personal filters working like physical filters. Where small holes in plates allowing light with specific wavelength to pass so personal filters only allow certain parts of a message to pass to the receptor to build the final perception .

Figure 2: Filters in the process of perception

The filters are present in each of the phases of attention,organization,interpretation and retention that are building the final perception. Attention is the process of becoming aware and noticing stimuli. The Perception filters are influencing which stimuli we are more attend to then others and limiting the number of impressions that are going to the next phase: Organization. Here the remaining informations are incorporated to the existing knowledge. As a cause of perceptional filters knowledge that is consistent with our current knowledge and believes is more likely to be incorporated. Thereafter a meaning is attached to the processes information. This Interpretation is influenced by our preferences, beliefs and values. Finally, parts of the information are filed away to be remembered. This process is called retention and here, too, perception filters play a role in selecting which information we can access in the future. In this whole process the receptor will compare the informations with existing personal context in a specific area . If there is no match the message is compared to the other personal areas. When there is a match the message is translated within the receptors framework whereby parts of the message sometimes being omitted. This is a subconscious process which is driven by multiple perception an dcan lead to differnt perceptions of the same message.

The message "The top manager is coming to visit us next week." can be interpreted in differnet ways. From one person as "Next week is pretty soon and I need to get my work done until then so I can present it" In this example the person filters the time span and the hierchical informations as the main elements out of the and interpreted it in the company framework as a pressure to deliver results. Another employee can interpret the same message as "The head office must have recognized the sales have gone up and wants to congratulate us" here the personal framework of positive work related experinece over the last weeks are linked to the massage and form a positive perception. A third person can have the perception driven by a personal filter and the wish to develop themselves: "The manager is a well educated person he might us for sure some practical tips how to improve our work"

All of these frameworks against stimuli are measured are builded up as well on individual as on collective level. So to obtain the desired reaction to a message, it has to be adapted to the person as well as to the environment of the entire collective.

Implications of Perception Filtering

Since perception filters are playing a role in each phase of the perception process implications and problems occurring in each of the different phases.

Selective perception

Selective perception is described as a tendency to notice preferable informations and stimuli that are related to our current values beliefs and screening out nonconforming. A manager who has a high opinion of an employee will forget or perceive poor performance more quickly than he would with an employee of whom he has a negative overall image. Disregarding minor parts of informations can be beneficial because the perception capacity is limited. But this only applies if the basic perception is accurate. If important information is omitted and an incomplete picture is created, selective perception can become a problem. .

Relative Interpretation

It is known that the acknowledgement of a message is a personal interpretation of the message. A simple example is the relative interpretation of 3 letter abbreviations. For a person out of the communication industry ATM is more likely a communication method and for a banking person a bank automate whereby ATM can also simply mean at the moment. The differences in perceptions become bigger the more paraphrasing 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. This message can be translated positive or negative and is related to the values created by the experiences. But also cultural attitude towards hierarchical behaviour can influence the receipting of a managers message . .

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 .

Closure

This phenomena can be linked to the HALO effect (internal Link with subsection possible) and describes our tendency to fill in gaps following our perception filters after we received initial informations about a process, company or person. This can have big effects on organizations once these filters are negative. A message of a budget cut by 20% can be interpreted that there is a incoming cut in employee costs with wage reduction or dismissal by filling the gaps of the message. This can lead to reduced working motivation.

How to react as a Project Manager

Acknowledging that their own perceptions are also influenced by filters is an important skill set for managers to make reasoned decisions. The decision-making in project management is thereby 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 . To find a common ground to communicate on can help to decrease the influences of the filters. Finding a field of shared experiences with multiple disciplines involved insures the knowledge of the filter in that area and is the basis for a more similar perception. To create the knowledge about these common filters, an open corporate culture with the a no shame no blame approach is beneficial . 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 during this processes into account 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 .

Bibliography

• Belling, B. & Mangalaars, F. A. H. (2004). How filters and perceptions influence your thinking, behavioral and success in project management: "mind dancing" as a way to success and leadership

This paper published by the project management institute is focussing on how perception filters influence succes in project management. There are weaknesses in describing the excact phenomenon and gaps the difference between filters. The focus is primarily on the implications this psychological phenomenon has for project management. Multiple examples can be found additionally that are not are underexamined in this article.

• H.M.F. Marynissen (2011) The Relationship between Organisational Communication and Perception, Acta Chirurgica Belgica, 111:4, 193-199

The Meta study of Marynissen deals with perception in a corporate context and describes different approaches of authors over the years to qualify the process from receiving a message to taking action. This literature only describes the topic of perception filters without explicitly naming it, which makes it a basic source to be considered.

• Williams, C. (2017). MGMT7. Cengage Learning

Williams book about the principles of management acknowledges the importance of communication for successful project management. It explains the role perception plays in communication and following communication problems and establishes the repeatedly-cited model of filters in the process of perception.