SEPTEMBER 2019 / NO. 2
TAGS: MAVERICKS, THE TENTH (WO)MAN, SUNFLOWER BIAS, STRATEGIC DECISIONS, WARREN BUFFETT, ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, SAMSUNG, GRAY RHINO, GREY SWAN, BLACK SWAN

Mavericks vs Sunflower Biases

“The more managers can get along with mavericks and the more their coworkers can understand their contributions, the better the results for all” , McKinsey, August 2019

 

Mavericks are the brilliant original thinkers not yet at the top of the corporate ladder. These male/female professionals are able to generate rigorous discussions in team meetings, which sets the best performing companies apart from competitors. In our strategy & strategic intelligence practices we call them the Tenth Man or Woman. Colleagues in these companies challenge one another, listen to minority views, scrutinize assumptions and challenge ‘sunflower biases’.

Sunflower bias

We all experience that in most meetings people rarely speak up until after the senior leader has spoken. Even then, they usually feel more comfortable following rather than challenging the leader. This is called ‘sunflower bias’. To overcome this, consider to assign two independent groups of individuals, the Red Team and the Blue Team, to represent opposing sides on a strategic decision being considered. The teams present their arguments to relevant stakeholders in a mutually agreed format and time frame. This is how Warren Buffett operates considering the biggest acquisitions, the Israeli Intelligence Agencies on crucial courses of action and technology leader Samsung in strategic decision making.
The Tenth Man or Tenth Woman in strategy & strategic intelligence uses unique methods and analyses to challenge the assumptions. Think of Black and Grey Swan Analyses, Gray Rhino Analysis, SWOT 2.0, Future Back Casting, PARTS, SWOTI, SSS, RB-Analysis and many more. Applying these kinds of unique analysis tools make the difference in improved strategic decision making.
“Great resource for professionals, managers, and business leaders looking for new methods, techniques, and perspectives on their discipline and how to level up their organization’s capabilities” – Jen Leung, AppDynamics, San Francisco, USA
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