Bias in Information

 

While choosing the appropriate method of communicating information, a care has to be taken to see that is not biased. For example, while using the techniques of classification or filtering the information, it should not happen that certain information gets eliminated or does not get classified. That is, a deliberate bias in covering certain information is to be avoided. This bias enters because people try to block sensitive information which affects them. To overcome this problem, a formal structure of organization should be adopted and the type of information and its receiver should be decided by the top management.

 

Many a times the data and the information are suppressed but the inferences are informed, with no or little possibility of verification or rethinking. In this case one who draws inferences may have a bias in the process of collection, processing and presentation of data and information. Though the deliberate enforcement of the inference on the receiver avoids a possibility of the multiple inferences, but in this case processor's bias is forced on the receiver. For example, organizations have departments like Corporate Planning, Market Research, R & D, HRD and so on, which collect the data and analyze it for the company and communicate the inferences. In all these case personal bias, organizational bias and management bias may be reflected in the entire process of collection processing, and communication inferencing.

 

Table: Methods to Avoid Misuse of Information

 

Method	Reason	Example
Delayed delivery of information	A possibility of immediate action or decision is reduced. It will have only a knowledge value.	Sales report to the sales representative or a copy of invoice to the sales representative.
Change in the format and content of the report.	Provide only that information which may be needed, hence the misuse is averted.	Sales information to operations management, sales versus target for the middle management sales with a trend analysis to the top management.
Suppression and filtering of the information of confidential and sensitive nature.	To avoid the risk of exposure and the misuse of information for achieving the undesirable goals.	The price, the cost information.  Drawing and design information.
Suppress the details and references of data and information.	Make it difficult to collect, and process the data at the user end to meet the personal needs of information.	Statistical reports with no references.
Truncated or lopsided presentation	Make it difficult to read through the information and avoid its probable misuse.	A focus on high value sales and production and suppress the details.

         

The presentation of the information will generate a bias and may influence the user. For example, if the information is presented in an alphabetical order and if it is lengthy, the first few information entities will get more attention.  If the information is presented with criteria of exception, the choice of exception and deviation from the exception creates a bias by design itself. For a quick grasp, the information is presented in a graphical form. The choice of scale, the graphic size and the color introduce a bias in the reader's mind.