What strategy can mitigate the effects of negativity bias in postmortem discussions?

Focusing on successes as well as failures is a robust strategy to mitigate the effects of negativity bias in postmortem discussions. Negativity bias refers to the psychological phenomenon where negative experiences or information have a greater impact on individuals than positive ones. In the context of postmortem discussions, it can lead to an overwhelming emphasis on what went wrong while overlooking the positives and learning opportunities that arise from successes.

By deliberately acknowledging and discussing the successes that occurred alongside the failures, teams can create a more balanced perspective. This approach encourages a culture of learning and improvement, as it shifts the focus from solely assigning blame or dwelling on mistakes to recognizing the efforts and successes that contributed to the overall outcome. Celebrating successes helps to foster team morale and motivation, reinforcing behaviors that led to those wins. Ultimately, this balanced perspective promotes collaboration and constructive feedback, essential elements in any effective incident response practice.