5

The Expert Myth

When facing tough problems that require creative solutions, we often believe that we need to enlist the help of more people with greater expertise. It's why we engage in a rigorous program of study before we set out to make our own mark in the world. It's why the reaction in many organizations to a difficult problem or an inadequate employee is often more training. This is the Expert Myth, the belief that a correlation exists between the depth of a person's knowledge and the quality of the work that person can produce. This seems so logical that it's difficult to argue with. In many cases it is even true. Training usually helps, and few would argue that schooling is detrimental. Except that, logical as this seems, the correlation ...

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