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On Identifying Human Capital: Flawed Knowledge Leads to Faulty Judgments of Expertise by Individuals and Groups

Advances in Group Processes

ISBN: 978-1-78560-077-7, eISBN: 978-1-78560-076-0

Publication date: 8 July 2015

Abstract

Purpose

To thrive, any individual, organization, or society needs to separate true from false expertise. This chapter provides a selective review of research examining self and social judgments of human capital – that is, expertise, knowledge, and skill. In particular, it focuses on the problem of the “flawed evaluator”: most people judging expertise often have flawed expertise themselves, and thus their assessments of self and others are imperfect in profound and systematic ways.

Methodology/approach

The review focuses mostly on empirical work specifically building on the “Dunning–Kruger effect” in self-perceptions of expertise (Kruger & Dunning, 1999). This selective review, thus, focuses on patterns of error in such judgments.

Findings

Because judges of expertise have flawed expertise themselves, they fail to recognize incompetence in themselves. Because of their flaws, most people also fail to recognize genius in other people and superior ideas.

Practical implications

The review suggests that organizations have trouble recognizing those exhibiting the highest levels of expertise in their midst. People in organizations also fail to identify the best advice and correct flawed ideas. Organizations may also rely on the “wisdom of crowds” strategy in situations in which that strategy actually misleads because too few people identify the best idea available.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgment

Preparation of this chapter, and conduct of much of the research reported herein, was supported by a THRIVE center grant entitled “Cognitive habits of intellectual humility,” funded by the Templeton Foundation.

Citation

Dunning, D. (2015), "On Identifying Human Capital: Flawed Knowledge Leads to Faulty Judgments of Expertise by Individuals and Groups", Advances in Group Processes (Advances in Group Processes, Vol. 32), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 149-176. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0882-614520150000032006

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015 Emerald Group Publishing Limited