See the Situation, Not Just the Person.
WorkWise Solutions helps organizations uncover the real causes of workplace dysfunction—beyond personality myths.
Why We’re Terrible at Reading People
We often jump to conclusions about people's character, ignoring the powerful influence of their circumstances. This is known as the "Fundamental Attribution Error."
Hover to reveal the truth
The Real Situation
The candidate's internet was down, forcing him to tether from his phone in a noisy café. His "unpreparedness" was a situational constraint, not a personality flaw.
This common mental shortcut leads to flawed hiring, promotion, and management decisions. We fixate on "who" is the problem, not "what" is the problem.
The Workplace Mythbuster
Most ‘personality problems’ aren’t about personality at all—they’re situational bugs. Diagnose yours below.
1. Select a Problem Area
The Stories Behind the Labels
Often, the label we put on a person hides a story about their situation.
The 'Unfriendly' Developer
A talented developer was seen as unfriendly and unapproachable, causing friction with other teams who needed his input.
The Real Situation:
The real issue wasn't his personality. His desk was located next to a loud, constantly-used office printer, forcing him to wear noise-cancelling headphones all day to concentrate.
Fix the situation, not the person.
The 'Uncommitted' Manager
A new manager frequently missed deadlines and seemed disengaged during strategy meetings, leading senior leadership to question her commitment.
The Real Situation:
She was managing two departments after a recent merger, a structural overload that left her with no time for deep strategic work. Her 'disengagement' was cognitive exhaustion.
Fix the situation, not the person.
The 'Careless' Graduate
A recent graduate was making numerous errors in client-facing reports, and was labeled as 'careless' and lacking attention to detail.
The Real Situation:
The company had three different, conflicting style guides on their internal wiki, and she was never told which one to use for which report.
Fix the situation, not the person.
Science-Backed Solutions
Our methodology is built on foundational concepts from social psychology and behavioral science.
The tendency to over-emphasize personality-based explanations for behaviors observed in others while under-emphasizing the role and power of situational influences.
The frustrating reality that our confidence in a judgment is not a reliable predictor of its accuracy. We can be very confident and very wrong.
The difficulty in accurately inferring context and emotional tone through digital-only communication, leading to frequent misunderstandings.
Test Your Situational Awareness
Which is the most likely cause of this behavior? See what our AI says about the hidden situational factors.
The WorkWise Edge
We don’t replace people. We redesign situations.
Diagnostics
Identify the true situational and environmental drivers behind common workplace issues.
Tools
Get practical, structured, AI-powered solutions that focus on systemic improvements.
Evidence
Our approach is grounded in decades of research in organizational psychology and behavioral science.
Good people in bad systems look bad.
Good systems help everyone thrive.
Ready to find out what's really happening in your workplace?