Sway by Ori & Rom Brafman
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior is often compared to Blink and with good reason. I actually thought it was written by the same guy, but it’s not. It covers the same sort of warped thought processes we humans use to make decisions. They’re interesting to read about but often discouraging since it seems unlikely we can really overcome these ingrained human traits. It might not be advantageous to overcome them all anyway. The need to conform and the lack of time to thoroughly evaluate every possibility don’t allow us to always make the right choice based on solid evidence and rational thought. Sometimes we need to jump to conclusions or just go along with the crowd.
Of course, it’s good to be aware of when we’re doing that so the brakes can be applied in cases where clear thinking is critical, as in the example in the book of a pilot who killed a whole plane full of people by being stubbornly committed to a pre-planned course of action. But in the example of saying whether or not three lines are the same length (when they’re clearly not) because everyone else is saying so . . . well, there are times when agreeing is the right choice. The dissenter, while an important role, is not a popular one. Perhaps companies and other organizations with important decisions to make could hire consultants to dissent. These people could show up, dissent to the point of getting a good conversation going, and move on without damaging their careers. I would make an excellent professional dissenter. I’ve already spent too much time being an amateur one.