The Tenth Man – wanted dead or alive?
Catriona Campbell MBE
Partner & AI Client Strategy Leader, EY I Author | Speaker | Chair
Some senior leadership challenges are so hard to solve they might as well be the sky-scraping anti-zombie wall in World War Z. One such challenge is disputing the dominant viewpoint on big decisions to inspire change and drive growth. Another is how an ailing C-suite leader can leave behind a powerful legacy for their executive team.
But as the living dead in Marc Foster’s post-apocalyptic horror proved when they formed a human pyramid to munch on the residents of Jerusalem, even the tallest walls can be scaled by thinking outside the box.
The Tenth Man Rule
One of the most creative ways to beat groupthink in decision-making is the Tenth Man Rule. First developed and used by the Israeli intelligence in 1973 during the Yom Kippur war, the critical-thinking strategy posits this:
If nine individuals in a group of ten receive the same info and agree on a resolution, it’s the responsibility of the tenth to protest, highlight all potential issues with that resolution, and argue the case for unlikelier scenarios – even if they’re on the same page as the other nine.
Essentially, the tenth man plays devil’s advocate to inspire deeper discussion of all eventualities and steer the group arrive towards a clearer, more considered answer. ?
Doing so after intercepting an Indian communication about a zombie apocalypse – and accordingly building a safe zone to prepare for the improbable – is exactly what helped Israel gird its loins for the worst in World War Z.
Sure, the undead ultimately managed to breach the wall with their own ingenuity, but if it weren’t for UN investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) rocking up to Jerusalem to learn about the Israeli approach, the events that led to a vaccine would never have unfolded.
So, the Tenth Man Rule saved the day – just indirectly, is all. Although it may seem deranged to source management tips from a zombie film, I’d say every senior leader should add this strategy to their toolkit. It works.
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But what happens once leaders pass away? How can they ensure the tenth mannery continues among their exec team long after they’ve shuffled off this mortal coil? Enter digital immortality. ?
Digital immortality
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on a project named Augmented Eternity, which uses the rich digital footprint of participants to create a AI-powered version of them that will exist long after they die.
This means we’ll be able to “borrow an individual’s identity” – or, in other words, access their insights and perspectives – to make stronger decisions once they’re no longer with us.
MIT says: “We believe that by enabling our digital identity to perpetuate, we can significantly contribute to global expertise and enable a new form of an intergenerational collective intelligence”.
The proposition clearly appeals to a broad range of individuals, as the diversity among MIT’s participants demonstrates. In an interview with The Times last year, Hossein Rahnama at MIT Media Lab revealed that one individual involved in the project was a well-known Fortune 500 CEO & Founder. An octogenarian, he was in the final stretch of life and wanted to leave behind a legacy for his board. ?
In that instance, the pair agreed that having the CEO make specific decisions from beyond the grave was neither practical nor desirable. Agreed. However, I appreciate the idea of a deceased senior leader giving their tuppence-worth on complex issues – especially if their decisions in life normally gave rise to favourable outcomes.
It’s easy to see how leveraging AI in this way could be advantageous in a tenth man context. It’s also easy to see just how many ethical questions it would undoubtedly raise, particularly in terms of bias. And if I were that leader’s earthly successor, how would I feel? Probably resentful. Put it this way: would you be happy moving into a new partner’s home while the spectre of their ex haunts the joint? Exactly.?
Perhaps it’s best to reserve the tenth man spot for a living, breathing human. What do you think…do we want the tenth man dead or alive?
Sales Manager at Nordstrom
1 年Lynn Margulis claimed that HIV was nothing more than syphilis masquerading under a new name. What if she was right? Spirochete + host tissue/protein/DNA + host bacteria = VIRUS. It uses them to basically create something new(symbiogenesis) with your DNA to hide from Docs. But the body knows somethings pretending. We call it auto immune disease. The combinations are endless. With the use of PCR with Covid it has uncovered a 700% increase in congenital syphilis. What about mom and dad? The problem: testing Test too early False negatives. Test too late too many antibodies, False negatives. Test while pregnant too many antibodies from mom and baby create a prozone phenomenon, False negatives. Doctors, especially at health department do no treat preventatively even with symptoms. It's not a fair fight if traditional cheap unreliable testing has been left in place on purpose so they call it more "market friendly" names. DNA doesn't lie. Unfortunately the FDA has banned PCR testing, most reliable early when people are symptomatic, test. I wonder why When you realize that tuberculosis hepatitis meningitis polio pox etc originated as syphilis with no cure?? If a zombie outbreak ever happens, just remember the cure is Penicillin.
From experience, the level of belief bias at C-level is pretty staggering at times. I do often get the impression that sometimes they think it's better to fall on the sword of a wrong decision with absolute faith than it is to be seen as either "pandering" or "indecisive". Thankfully it does seem to be getting better, but it's still pretty rife.
Founder of Nomi - A practical marketing and business advisory company
1 年Nice post Catriona Campbell. Would just say to everyone - please read the book, don’t watch the film. The 10th man concept makes far more sense. The original audiobook with the big cast for all the interviews is awesome.
Associate Partner | UKI IBM Ambassador | UKOUG Executive Board Member for GenAI and Innovation
1 年Just loved reading this! Thank you for sharing.