Bias towards action is a design thinking term referring to the practice of not just having an idea, but actually willing yourself to take meaningful actions to see your idea move forward.
Too often in business, companies spend countless hours and dollars brainstorming to come up with the perfect ideas. Then when those ideas have been finalized – nothing changes. The concept of bias towards action refers to acting on these ideas, and beginning to put changes in motion. If an employee has to make a decision to take Avenue A or Avenue B, and just waits because he can’t decide which is better, bias towards action would say analyze and quickly decide which route you want to take, and then move. It means don’t just wait around – always make the default choice to instill change rather than idly stand by.
{Microdata type="HowTo" id="10046"}Bias toward action means preferring to take quick, decisive steps to solve problems rather than waiting or overthinking. In education, this encourages students and teachers to actively try new ideas and learn by doing.
Having a bias toward action helps students build confidence, develop problem-solving skills, and learn from real experiences instead of only theory. It makes learning more engaging and practical.
Teachers can encourage a bias toward action by creating hands-on projects, promoting group activities, and allowing students to experiment with ideas. This approach fosters creativity and collaborative learning.
Examples include design challenges, science experiments, quick brainstorming sessions, and role-play activities. These tasks require students to make decisions and take steps immediately.
Bias toward action means acting quickly, while careful planning involves more time spent thinking before acting. Both are valuable—action jumpstarts learning, and planning helps avoid mistakes.