“The one who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The one
who walks alone is likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been”. – Albert Einstein.
I was watching the movie World War Z yesterday and stumbled across an interesting phenomenon known as “The Tenth Man Rule”. In the movie, as Brad Pitt (Hero) tries to stop the world being taken over by a zombie apocalypse, he comes across an Israeli secret agent who explains how his country was far more prepared than the rest of the world against the zombie invasion. He further adds that their secret agency had overheard a communication mentioning the word – zombie from an Indian intelligence agency 10 days before the apocalypse. The Israel’s Security Council which had 10 advisors that looked into big picture issues brushed aside this communication as trivial, except for one who felt there is a possibility of a potential danger.
He gathers Intel and presents his case to the group. Looking at the credibility of his data, the group decides to build a gigantic wall along its borders to protect people from the zombie outbreak.
This was all possible due to the 10th man rule which forces the 10th man in a group to overrule the decision taken by the majority and look into the issue from a different angle, no matter how trivial it may be. This doesn’t mean that the 10thman needs to be right always or his/her decision is final but he/she simply ensures that all the possibilities are taken into account before coming to a conclusion.
Historical references of the 10th Man rule:
In fact, as mentioned in the movie, Israel has a council known as the Devil’s advocate Office that uses this 10th man rule. This unit was created immediately after the Yom Kippur war in 1973 that involved a surprise attack by the Egyptian and Syrian forces on Israeli territory. To avoid such incidents in the future, this think tank group was created to challenge conventional wisdom in group decisions and to seek diverse and opposing opinions. Surprisingly, this rule has its roots (2000 years back) in the Talmud and Jewish culture, referred as “Ipcha Mistabra” which means “On the contrary, the reality appears otherwise”. There is also a practice within the Vatican wherein a church official is chosen to play Devil’s advocate during Canonisation, which involves the selection of a candidate for elevation to sainthood. The official’s responsibility is to take a contrary position for the sake of argument to cast a doubt on the candidate’s character.
How to Apply the Rule:
In case you are wondering as to how this rule would help in real life, watch this old classic courtroom drama – 12 Angry Men. This movie offers a fantastic explanation on how the rule could be enforced in real life situation and also the criticality behind such thinking. 11 out of 12 members of a Jury feel that a teenager is responsible for murdering his father but the 12th juror (Hero) thinks otherwise. He convinces the others of the teenager’s innocence in spite of multiple evidence stacked against him. He slowly and progressively makes each juror to change their decision by asking them to examine the veracity of evidence given to them and decide based on facts and not just hearsay. It clearly outlines the importance of looking into facts and making a 360 degrees evaluation of the issue in hand before making big decisions, just like the teenager’s future here in the movie.
The Value of the Rule:
A situation contrary to the 10th man rule is very much evident in today’s corporate world wherein employees say yes to what their big bosses have to say without raising an iota of disapproval. Also, employees who play the role of a tenth man are often discouraged or shown the way out. If organizations would like to grow, it is high time that they motivate employees to disapprove ideas proposed by the top management and have a healthy debate on the pros and cons of the decision. Also, employees who play the role of a Devil’s advocate could be rewarded with promotions or appreciations so that a culture of creative thinking could be established.
It is also worth to mention about a similar phenomenon known as “Informational Asymmetry”, well used in the economics circle. According to Wikipedia, informational symmetry “deals with the study of decisions in transactions where one party has more or better information that the other”. To put it in simple terms, the so-called experts in each field have information regarding their field which the common man doesn’t have and use or misuse it to earn money. The book –Freakonomics offers some fantastic insights about this concept and is worth every penny for reading.
Michael Shermer in his book The Believing Brain calls the human brain a belief engine which forms the belief first and then finds confirmatory evidence to support the belief. Tools like the 10th man rule and informational asymmetry could help us overcome the limitations of our brain. It’s important that we think out of the box while making critical decisions in life and not to go with the conventional wisdom or more importantly, not to have blind faith in the so-called experts. Next time, when a doctor suggests that you need to have a surgery for a simple stomach pain, it is better to check the facts (like check on the internet, get an opinion from other doctors) before taking a decision.
To put it simply, whenever you need to make a big decision, remember these words of Mark twain – “When you find yourself on the side of the majority, you should pause and reflect”.
The Value of the Rule:
A situation contrary to the 10th man rule is very much evident in today’s corporate world wherein employees say yes to what their big bosses have to say without raising an iota of disapproval. Also, employees who play the role of a tenth man are often discouraged or shown the way out. If organizations would like to grow, it is high time that they motivate employees to disapprove ideas proposed by the top management and have a healthy debate on the pros and cons of the decision. Also, employees who play the role of a Devil’s advocate could be rewarded with promotions or appreciations so that a culture of creative thinking could be established.
It is also worth to mention about a similar phenomenon known as “Informational Asymmetry”, well used in the economics circle. According to Wikipedia, informational symmetry “deals with the study of decisions in transactions where one party has more or better information that the other”. To put it in simple terms, the so-called experts in each field have information regarding their field which the common man doesn’t have and use or misuse it to earn money. The book –Freakonomics offers some fantastic insights about this concept and is worth every penny for reading.
Michael Shermer in his book The Believing Brain calls the human brain a belief engine which forms the belief first and then finds confirmatory evidence to support the belief. Tools like the 10th man rule and informational asymmetry could help us overcome the limitations of our brain. It’s important that we think out of the box while making critical decisions in life and not to go with the conventional wisdom or more importantly, not to have blind faith in the so-called experts. Next time, when a doctor suggests that you need to have a surgery for a simple stomach pain, it is better to check the facts (like check on the internet, get an opinion from other doctors) before taking a decision.
To put it simply, whenever you need to make a big decision, remember these words of Mark twain – “When you find yourself on the side of the majority, you should pause and reflect”.
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