Blink

Category: Editorial

I made a mistake. I read a book on the flight from New Orleans to Newark and I did not bother to get out a highlighter pen. As a result, I am missing my normal notes that go into a book review, so I am operating much more from memory. For many years I would never deface a book. I won't, now, deface a novel. But it was a great breakthrough to start reading text books and non-fiction with one or more highlighters to hand. The act of marking probably helps assimilation but the ability to return to a book and quickly access the essence is really valuable. Very often I can review a book usefully just by picking out sections in colour.

After I reviewed Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point, several people advised me to read his latest, Blink, which was published in January. So, when I saw it on special offer in Borders Bookshop I snapped it up – together with a pile of other books that I am gradually working through.

The basis of Gladwell's book, the power of thinking without thinking, is that we have a powerful decision-making/judgement process in our instant impression. A first impression can be more powerful than a researched and argued case. Further, if we are asked to justify our decision, our original wisdom gradually ebbs away.

He starts by giving examples of how art experts were able to detect a fake sculpture just by looking at it although major research had 'proved' its provenance.

He then takes a different approach and shows how pre-conditioning can affect judgement, with particular reference to racial stereotyping.

He makes a detailed analysis of New York police intervention that went disastrously wrong because inexperienced policemen made judgements under stress, and then explains how police training and procedure should prevent this. For example, a car chase can raise adrenalin such that the occupants become incapable of thinking. In some states car chases have been banned – because they are so likely to go wrong at the end.

In the last chapter he shows how we can get the best of both worlds – access the subconscious genius without the prejudice. He uses a musical example and describes how the use of screens at auditions led to a dramatic change in the appointment of women in orchestras. People who were thought 'physically incapable of playing to a standard' were suddenly found to be brilliant musicians. The number of women in orchestras has shot up from almost none as a result of the adoption of anonymous auditions.

So, how does this all impact on us in our work?

First, trust your intuition – and don't then try to justify your original conclusion, you are likely to lose confidence and change your mind.

Secondly, recognise that irrelevant information such as race, sex or physical size/shape can seriously prejudice your judgement – take positive steps to remove that information.

Finally, recognise that some physical states prohibit the full functioning of the brain. Prevent people from taking decisions in situations where this might apply.

You might discover that some procedures introduced to reduce prejudice and improve decision-making are actually counter-productive. Read the book and you will understand what changes you need to make. In addition to having useful content and being a pleasant read, this book is physically attractive to look at and touch.

USEFUL LINKS

• Blink Malcolm Gladwell



• The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell

blog comments powered by Disqus