Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking suggests that there is great power in the intuitive leaps or insights the human mind is capable of generating, that the “smallest components of our everyday lives—the content and origin of those instantaneous impressions and conclusions that spontaneously arise whenever we meet a new person or confront a complex situation or have to make a decision under conditions of stress” are often what matters more than logic (Gladwell, 2005, p.16). Even something as simple as an ordinary conversation can yield insights about something as complex as a marriage. Gladwell uses examples from history to show how insight into small details can have significant gains, such as the fact that World War II British code-breakers, even when they did not understand the code itself, could often find valuable interpretive clues simply by the cadence of a German’s speech.Insight and leaps of understanding are not something that only a few, privileged individuals are capable of. Gladwell also notes that even untrained observers are able to understand a great deal about complete strangers, simply by looking at the strangers’ most intimate possessions, as was the case in a research study of people asked to draw conclusions about students based upon objects in their dorm rooms. “The observers were looking at the...
Of course, there are many people who are unable to draw such profound conclusions so quickly. Gladwell uses disparate examples such as the election of Warren Harding (the dangers of “tall, dark, handsome men” who look presidential but who really are not) and Coke’s failure to generate a new product (“New Coke”) that satisfied consumers because of its inability to understand the mystique behind the so-called secret formula of its flagship product.
So Gladwell is saying that it is the perception of a lack of caring, not the actual competency of the physician, that more than anything else defines how a patient perceives their treatment or not (p. 39). Again, as Gladwell does so well in this book, he mixes the empirical research, this time with auditory analysis by physicians and then in-clinic analysis of treatment results and arrives at the
Blink: An Assessment of Gladwell's Goals for the Book In the best-selling book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (Gladwell, 2006) author Malcolm Gladwell seeks to accomplish three specific goals or tasks that when taken together change the perception and value of time and effort spent deliberately on decision outcomes. The three aims or goals of the book include first convincing the reader that decisions made very quickly can be
leadership styles and power bases of CO, XO, Chief of the Boat (COB)? (Consider the full range of possible styles.) Cite specific behaviors and statements, with specific reference to the leadership literature. The CO's leadership style is very much ad hoc -- in terms of his contempt for what he sees as overly theoretical book knowledge, it is also firmly based on his own long experience. To some degree it
What is fascinating in this regard is the contention that Gladwell makes of "thin slicing" through a significant portion of the book also aligns with theoretical models of how consumers interpret and act on promotional and advertising content as well. The author also points to examples of how what he calls "rapid cognition" actually has prejudices and preferences already interpreted as part of the perceptual filters each person uses
That could lead to all kinds of advertising insights," even though it could just be a coincidence (Baker 2008, p.3). The result could be a cutting-edge campaign for a rental car company stressing romance and danger, rather than safety and budget-conscious effectiveness. No company wishes to miss out on the next new marketing trend, and all want to find the next 'hot' new connection between two seemingly discordant interests or
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