72
WHY WE TAKE AIM AT YOUNG GUNS
Social Comparison Bias
As one of my books reached number
one on the bestseller list, my publisher
asked me for a favour. An acquaintance’s title was on the verge of entering the
top ten list, and the publisher was convinced that
a testimonial from me would
give it the necessary push.
It always amazes me that these little testimonials work at all. Everyone knows
that only favourable comments end up on a book’s jacket. (The book you hold in
your hands is no exception.) A rational reader should ignore the praise, or at least
consider it alongside the criticism, which is always available, albeit in different
places. Nevertheless, I’ve written plenty of testimonials for other books, but they
were never for rival titles. I hesitated: wouldn’t writing
a blurb be cutting off my
nose to spite my face? Why should I help someone who might soon vie with me
for the top slot? As I pondered the question, I realised s
ocial comparison bias
had
kicked in – that is, the tendency to withhold assistance to people who might outdo
you, even if you look like a fool in the long run.
Book testimonials are a harmless example of the
social comparison bias
.
However, the phenomenon has reached toxic levels in academia. Every
scientist’s goal is to publish as many articles as possible in the most prestigious
scientific journals. Over time, you make a name for yourself, and soon editors ask
you to assess other scientists’ submissions.
In the end, often just two or three
experts decide what gets published in a particular field. Taking this into account,
what happens if a young researcher sends in an earth-shattering paper that turns
the entire department on its head and threatens to knock them off their thrones?
They will be especially rigorous when evaluating the article. That’s
social
comparison bias
hard at work.
The psychologist Stephen Garcia and his fellow researchers describe the case
of a Nobel laureate who prevented a promising young colleague from applying for
a job at ‘his’ university. This may seem judicious in the short term, but in the long
run, it is counterproductive. What happens when that young prodigy joins another
research group and applies his acumen there – most likely preventing the old
institution from maintaining its world-class status?
Garcia suggests that
social
comparison bias
may well be the reason why hardly any research groups remain
at the top for many years in succession.
T h e
social comparison bias
is also a cause for concern with start-up
companies. Guy Kawasaki was ‘chief evangelist’ at Apple for four years. Today
he is a venture capitalist and advises entrepreneurs. Kawasaki says: ‘A-players
hire people even better than themselves. It’s clear, though, that B-players hire C-
players so
they can feel superior to them, and C-players hire D-players. If you
start hiring B-players, expect what Steve [Jobs] called “the bozo explosion” to
happen in your organisation.’ In other words, start hiring B-players and you end
up with Z-players. Recommendation: hire
people who are better than you,
otherwise you soon preside over a pack of underdogs. The so-called
Duning–
Kruger effect
applies to such Z-players: the inept are gifted at overlooking the
extent of their incompetence. They suffer
from illusory superiority, which leads
them to make even more thinking errors, thus creating a vicious cycle that erodes
the talent pool over time.
While his school was closed due to an outbreak of plague in 1666–7, 25-year-
old Isaac Newton showed his professor,
Isaac Barrow, what research he was
conducting in his spare time. Barrow immediately gave up his job as a professor
and became a student of Newton. What a noble gesture. What ethical behaviour.
When was the last time you heard of a professor vacating his post in favour of a
better candidate? And when was the last time you read about a CEO clearing out
his desk when he realised that one of his 20,000 employees could do a better
job?
In conclusion: do you foster individuals more talented than you? Admittedly, in
the short term the preponderance of
stars can endanger your status, but in the
long run, you can only profit from their contributions. Others will overtake you at
some stage anyway. Until then, you should get in the up-and-comers’ good books
– and learn from them. This is why I wrote the testimonial in the end.
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