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+--- Thread: 3 reasons people with power are more likely to make bad decisions (/thread-11061.html)
3 reasons people with power are more likely to make bad decisions - C C - Oct 1, 2021
https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-people-with-power-are-more-likely-to-make-bad-decisions-169017
EXCERPTS: One thing the issue really lacks is a comprehensive assessment of the downsides of power. To put it simply, feeling powerful tends to inhibit a person’s ability to make good decisions.
Research shows having a formal position of authority with influence over people, resources and rewards is associated with cognitive and behavioural costs. People who feel powerful (either in the moment or consistently) make significantly lower estimates of the likelihood of negative outcomes. They are more likely to take risks both to obtain gains and avoid losses.
Feeling powerful makes us more prone to three behavioural patterns that increase the likelihood of making poor decisions: overvaluing our own perspective; dismissing the expertise of others; and failing to recognise limitations.
Not seeing other perspectives. Taking the perspective of others is important in any leadership role. Those who feel more powerful tend, however, to overvalue their own perspective and discount the perspectives of others. This has been demonstrated in behavioural experiments by social psychologist Adam Galinsky and colleagues...
[...] Dismissing expert advice. Feeling powerful makes us more prone to dismiss expert advice. This effect has been measured by organisational behavioural researcher Leigh Tost and colleagues.
Not recognising constraints. The more powerful we feel, the more likely we will pursue goals aggressively and fail to recognise constraints. This is because power means we are, in fact, less constrained. The powerful have more resources to do what they like, and to tell others what to do. Organisational researcher Jennifer Whitson and colleagues measured this tendency in experiments in which participants were given nine facts that could hinder achieving a goal — such as “not much money to invest” — and nine facts that could help, such as “there is high demand”. (MORE - missing details)
RE: 3 reasons people with power are more likely to make bad decisions - Magical Realist - Oct 2, 2021
Quote:Feeling powerful makes us more prone to three behavioural patterns that increase the likelihood of making poor decisions: overvaluing our own perspective; dismissing the expertise of others; and failing to recognise limitations.
I wonder if Napolean's power trip contributed to his terrible decision to invade Moscow in the winter.