FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
January 27, 2006
Ignore Intuition
"When making a decision, don't listen to your intuition. Intuition will lead you astray."
--Max Bazerman, professor, Harvard Business School
From Fast Company's recently released book, The Rules of Business: 55 Essential Ideas to Help Smart People (and Organizations) Perform At Their Best
Posted by Kevin Ohannessian at January 27, 2006 10:31 AM | Category: book discussions |
21 Comments
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Wow. I've got to say I disagree 100%. You should take in ALL forms of input - statistics, various opinions, and your own instinct. I think that if you spoke to most of North America's successful businessmen, you'd find that they all trust their instincts, and that in many cases, it's what has given them the competitive edge.
I agree with you. Besides, this guys a teacher- not a businessman.
There is a place for those who do not trust their instinct, thankfully it is not running a successfull company. To be at the top you must have good instinct and be willing to follow it even when it is not the popular call.
Its totally illogical to discard your own intution because intutions dont come blindly there is a logic hidden behind it which needs words to explain itself.I think Max Bazerman has written his book without any intutions that why he is getting remarks all over.
Instinct is for artists. What makes Man is simply the application of logic. The very fact that we're having this conversation and not running around hoarding every resource we can claim demonstrates this quite well.
I think he means only intuition. My successes have come from taking in all the facts, figures, advice, etc, and when the moment comes for final decisions, if there's any struggle left in making the decision after all the logic has been analyzed, intuition carries the ball over the goal line. Of course, different strokes for different folks. I can say that Steve Jobs didn't end up on the Disney's board recently due to never going on intuition. At the same time, he's gone through plenty of tough times, some of which were probably due to too much intuition. As with everything, strive to strike that divine balance.
It hard to imagine any good original idea not coming from intution. Read Malcolm Gladwell.
Anybody know what Bazerman's def. of "intuition" is? Better yet, what is your's?
I think what Max Bazerman is trying to say here is that we should not trust his intuition. On the other hand applied metrics over-time have proven that mine is quite good.
Interesting. Only goes against all the accumulated wisdom of say of recorded history. Goes to show that simply drawing a check from Haa-vaad doesn't make one brilliant.
Years of problem solving have taught me to count on my intuition. I feed my brain data on the problem, then make myself busy until "know" the answer. I've even come to believe that in many situations, there is a "best" way to solve the problem and I experience finding that answer as a release of tension and confidence that I've found the answer.
I think it speaks a DVD's worth that the essential ideas have been distilled to a mere 55. ;*)
Wow. I assume there is greater context involved in this comment. Otherwise, quite frankly, my view of Harvard as an institution is diminished based on this comment. Wow. Again. Wow.
What this essential idea confirms for me is that the old adage "those who can do and those who can't teach"... Also, it has made me rethink my considered decision that my son might want to go to Harvard... My gut feeling now is it would be at best a waste of his time and at worse it would fill his head with nonsense....
Richard Lipscombe.
Intuition is like "common sense." When you add the appropriate adjective to intuition, you define it more clearly, and you trust it or not.
Intuition is not stand alone, it is developed by experience, perspective, and can be skewed by complexes like grandiosity. People with this complex will think all of their intuitions can be successful, even the most hair-brained ideas.
I heard the funniest story the other day. A lady had an intuition about her grandmother dying and she did. When queried further she revealed that her grandmother was 103!
Intuition: The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition
In light of the definition I would suggest that he's right. Important decisions should be based on rational processes not intuition.
When I am close to making a decision most of the time I let my "intuition" kick-in. In reality it's just a rational process of gathering facts, exploring options, then choosing one. Sometimes that takes a while sometimes it happens very quickly. But to just make a decision without considering anything e.g immediate reaction. I don't think that's advisable.
I call BUNK!
Might as well throw out over 50% of our typical decision-making capabilities.
Intuition is not some "woo-woo" New Age gig with no basis in reality. It's experience pushed deep into the memory, ready for recall when combined with current activites, events, etc...
Unintuitive decision making, based solely on facts is souless decision making. And it lacks the impact and passion that come from a good gut-feel decision.
A recent client of mine, David McInnis of PRWeb.com had a major decision to make recently. Had he used simply logic, (and the guy is a programmer by trade, so logic is an easy route) he would be in a totally different world today than by applying a more intuitive approach.
Instead, he used his own intuitive gut-feel, COMBINED with logic and advice... and came out with a a decision that surprised and delighted his whole company, and benefits the industry through the phenomenal new technologies PRWeb has launched as a result.
(For a peek inside of some of the things that were spawned as a result of this decision, go to PRWebPhotowire and 301URL.com, both leading-edge technologies that provide significant customer-value for a great price - free).
Granted, logic is a key to getting your head on straight. Without it, we'd all make wreckless decisions and be driving Italian sports cars when we really need another mini-van in the driveway. But intuition, coupled with experience, can't be beat.
Just ask Malcolm Gladwell - but make sure not to Blink...;-)
Best of success in your decision-making this year,
Mark Alan Effinger
RichContent.com
Like anything, a balanced approach is called for. When taken in context, intuition can be a great tool for business. We've all had times when we make snap decsions based upon gut feelings. Conversely, we all have analyzed situations to death.
A wise sage once said "Moderation in all things, including moderation itself."
Intuition is certainly something that accounts for.While taking a decision it may not be always possible that intution will come in the decision taking process.If both go in the same direction in terms of companies' objective and priority,then it is all good and nothing bad
What is so wrong about being "astray" that would requires such a radical denial of our own humanity ( not to mention a pretty good innovation strategy ).
A rule of Business ? Only for those who have fallen blindly in love with their heads.
Maybe the good professor is neither and entrepreneur or an innovator. However, the idea is sound.
When making business decisions you aren't always able to gather the facts and make a strategic decission with wisdom and support. In real life the actual occurance is in between. Gather what you can apply to what you know of the situation and make the decision. I almost always suggest a ooling period before making the decision in order to remove as much immotional connectivity as possible.
It seems to me, that combined with all the comments, the advice by professor Bazerman, becomes rather sound.
Some of the comments make clear that he is right and some make it clear that his advice was not nuanced enough.
On the other hand, it does make something clear. The shorter the advice, the more comments you will get.
Gut feel is some thing which is unique and its not common. Any one can make a rational desion based on the facts given but you dont get facts all the time. E.g when you launch a new product you newer know whether there will be demand for it.E.g Sony walkman. I would say gut feel is a rare talent which can be seen among few good businessmen.