In this podcast, Rory Sutherland explores the pitfalls of prioritizing micro-efficiencies within organizations, which can lead to larger macro-inefficiencies. He illustrates this with the "doorman fallacy," where replacing a doorman with an automated door may seem like a smart cost-saving move, but it ignores the doorman's valuable contributions. Sutherland encourages a more holistic and creative mindset, stressing the importance of "explore" functions—such as marketing and R&D—alongside "exploit" functions. He draws an analogy to bees to highlight this balance. Additionally, he discusses the distinction between "one-way" and "two-way" decisions, advocating for low-risk, reversible experiments rather than relying solely on data-driven choices, which can stifle creative intuition. The conversation also delves into the Abilene effect and underscores the significance of risk pooling to foster creativity and innovation.
