Have you ever come across someone whose force of personality is so great that they just seem believable? Yet, when you analyse what they say, seems to say very little at all?
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon that was first identified by researchers in the late 90s. Academics David Dunning and Justin Kruger carried out a series of experiments that showed some people think they’re more capable and intelligent than they actually are.
No surprises there. However, individuals afflicted by the Dunning-Kruger effect were found to:
- Overestimate their own level of competence
- Fail to recognise the skills and expertise of others
- Fail to recognise their own mistakes and incompetence
To put it bluntly, Dunning-Kruger effect people are not intelligent enough to recognise their own shortcomings. However, they’re super-confident, because they think they’re the bees’ knees and everyone else is stupid.
One can only imagine it’s how you get to stand confidently at a lectern banging on about cheese – or explain the difference between an “incursion” and an “invasion” with a straight face. Or write off £4.3bn in fraud (and inadvertently force up the cost of living with tax hikes). Or huff and puff and talk Peppa Pig to business decision-makers.
The less capable exuding authority is one aspect of the Dunning-Kruger effect. But its dangers are compounded because more intelligent people tend to under-estimate their own capabilities, and over-estimate the abilities of everyone else.
Or as Charles Darwin noted in The Descent of Man: “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge…”
So if someone sounds very self-assured and capable, it’s worth looking closely at what they’re saying – and asking them to show their competence, as well as talk about it. The opposite is also true. If you have a job candidate who seems unsure of themselves, it’s always worth talking through specific examples, because they may simply be intelligent enough to know they don’t have all the answers.
And if you are a highly-skilled person, it’s worth remembering that at least in your area, you do know a lot more than most other people – so it makes sense to take the time to explain clearly.
If you’d like help with the explaining, you know where we are. And if you simply want to offload about the Dunning-Kruger effect, we’d be happy to have a Zoom and coffee with you.
If you’re interested, you can read Dunning and Kruger’s research here and here.