Review of Blink
By Malcolm Gladwell

Reviewed by: Kelsey Ebben, Performa Research Associate

Blink

Malcolm Gladwell ignited an organizational phenomenon when he published The Tipping Point in 2000. The book discusses how ideas gain wide popularity, or become "epidemics" in our society. He introduces three key types of people who make things happen: connectors (people who have many acquaintances), mavens (people who know detailed information about specific topics), and salespeople (people who have the personality to convince you to do or believe something). He also outlines the ideal contexts that facilitate large-scale change, and ways people must carefully construct messages to be "sticky," or sufficiently memorable and attractive to take hold.

Those of you looking for his next book to build on his first may be surprised that Blink (2005) focuses on a different concept: the ability of individual humans to use their intuition to make quick - and correct - judgments. Using an engaging, conversational style, he describes several psychological experiments and real-life situations in which people inexplicably "knew" something. He makes the argument that decisions made quickly can be just as good as ones made deliberately, via a process called thin slicing. When we "thin-slice," we use our unconscious to find patterns in situations or behavior based on narrow "slices" of experience (p. 23). In other words, we "zero in on what matters." The problem, Gladwell explains, is that the world often relies on theories, principles, and detailed reasoning for decisions. When we abandon intuition and focus solely on logic, our decision making becomes muddled.

Gladwell provides key ideas that can help readers hone their intuitive skills. These ideas have direct implications for leaders in higher education:

• Edit out extraneous details; focus on what is pertinent to the situation. Extra information distracts and confuses your natural intuition and inhibits your ability to find underlying patterns.

When participating in search committees or meeting potential donors trust your intuition and focus on what counts. Do not become wrapped up in surface details that have no bearing on the individual's performance or potential. Also, because it is easy to become swamped with information during a major decision (i.e., the strategic planning process or a major advancement campaign), do your best to remove extraneous details and look for patterns in the information.

• Create conditions for successful spontaneity. Trust in your subordinates and allow them to operate without explaining themselves. Allow them to make quick decisions (p. 119).

Trust your colleagues on the Board and on your key committees. Allow them to operate on their intuitive "first impressions" rather than requiring them to constantly provide detailed, logical analysis.

• Realize that truly successful decision-making relies on both intuition and deliberate thinking. Deliberative analysis sets the stage for accurate use of your intuition. In other words, background knowledge informs intuition.

Continue to build your understanding of current issues in higher education. The more informed you are, the more likely your quick, intuitive decisions will be the correct ones.

• Recognize that arousal (i.e., fear or anxiety) and a compressed timeframe cause us to be "mind-blind." In other words, we lose all sense of our intuition. Work to slow down your thinking in tough situations.

During a campus crisis situation, always remain calm. Slow down your thinking so that your emotions do not take over your thought process. Reviewing crisis protocols during down times allows for deliberate analysis. Then, during the crisis, let your intuition and protocol drive your decisions and behaviors.

In summary, Malcolm Gladwell's books The Tipping Point (2000) and Blink (2005) provide accessible wisdom for higher education administrators. A successful leader must hone his or her own micro-level skills such as intuition, and understand the macro-level functioning of the institution within its environment. Although each book has a unique focus, it is easy to apply these ideas in tandem within the higher education context. If leaders are able to use their intuition to quickly discern which messages and programs are "sticky" and which individuals or groups have the capacity to set off an "epidemic," they may be able to more efficiently guide their institutions to the top.