kōgu

Ladder of Inference

Retrace how you got from what happened to what you now believe.

Use it whenyou may be jumping to conclusions about people or events.

Origin
Chris Argyris, 1982
Time
10 to 20 min
Works
Solo or group
Loading the workspace
§1

Abstract

People rarely act on raw facts. From everything that happens we notice a few details, give them a meaning, make assumptions about the people involved and reach a conclusion. Then we act on it. The whole climb takes seconds, and most of the time we don't notice we're doing it.

The ladder of inference names each step so you can climb back down. Doing that separates what actually happened from the story you've built on top of it. It also shows where one question to the other person would have saved you a wrong turn.

§2

Method

  1. 01

    Start at the top

    Write down the action you're about to take or the belief you now hold. That's usually where you notice you've climbed.

  2. 02

    Go back to the data

    Describe what happened the way a video camera would have recorded it, with no interpretation.

  3. 03

    Fill in the rungs

    Note what you picked out of the data, what meaning you gave it and which assumptions got you to your conclusion.

  4. 04

    Climb down slowly

    At each rung, ask what you might have left out and what else it could mean.

  5. 05

    Decide what to check

    Pick one thing to verify before you act. Often the quickest check is to share your reasoning and ask for theirs.

§3

When to use it

  • You've had a strong reaction to someone's behaviour and you're about to act on it.
  • Two people disagree and each is certain of something very different.
  • You're looking back at a decision that went wrong to see where the reasoning slipped.
§4

Common pitfalls

  • Putting a conclusion on the data rung. 'They were rude' is a judgement. 'They left before I'd finished' is data.
  • Using the ladder to prove the other person wrong when it's meant for checking your own climb.
  • Forgetting the loop back. Your beliefs decide which data you notice next time.
  • Doing it all in your head when you could just ask.
§5

Origin and references

Attributed to Chris Argyris (1982).

  1. Argyris, C. (1982). Reasoning, Learning, and Action: Individual and Organizational. Jossey-Bass.
  2. Senge, P. M., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., & Smith, B. J. (1994). The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. Currency Doubleday.
§6

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