The Expert

[Splatted]

I thought this video was genius and just had to be shared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

[EdLee]

Hi Splatted -- interesting. Do you happen to know the background of the sketch ?
Was it a student film project, or... ?

[DrStraw]

Hi Splatted -- interesting. Do you happen to know the background of the sketch ?
Was it a student film project, or... ?

What? You mean it wasn't a recording of a real meeting? It seems so realistic.

[Nyanjilla]

I'm glad I no longer have to attend such meetings....

[oca]

[Joaz Banbeck]

It emphasized one observation that I had made years ago. I call it 'boxing the expert'.

Management often has preconceived ideas of what the expert's field is, and what it's limitations are. They put the expert in a conceptual box, but the expert doesn't even know that such a box exists.

When faced with an expert who tells them that they are wrong, management won't address the issue at hand, rather they try to push the expert back into their predefined box. This leads to bizarre discussions in which the expert is trying to assert certain facts, and management does not reply directly, rather they say that the such opinions are irrelevant or off topic.

[Bantari]

It emphasized one observation that I had made years ago. I call it 'boxing the expert'.

Management often has preconceived ideas of what the expert's field is, and what it's limitations are. They put the expert in a conceptual box, but the expert doesn't even know that such a box exists.

When faced with an expert who tells them that they are wrong, management won't address the issue at hand, rather they try to push the expert back into their predefined box. This leads to bizarre discussions in which the expert is trying to assert certain facts, and management does not reply directly, rather they say that the such opinions are irrelevant or off topic.

On the other hand, working with experts myself, I know that some of the things they claim to be "impossible" are quite possible if you sit on them long enough. Experts can be lazy as well. And anyways - contracts are not secured by saying things like "its impossible". They are secured by saying "of course we can do it" - sometimes even before you know what the "it" is - and then negotiating compromises after the papers are signed. You see it all the time, at least in my business.

What I find quite interesting is that, in the video, the proportions of "reasonable" to "unreasonable" was 4:1. My experience tells me this might be close to real life proportions. So I wonder if anybody here will identify with the bosses and the clients, or are well all the "experts", and if the L19 community is drown solely from the 25% of the population.

[Bill Spight]

So I wonder if . . . the L19 community is drown solely from the 25% of the population.

Oh, I expect that it is a rather smaller percentage than that.

[Bantari]

So I wonder if . . . the L19 community is drown solely from the 25% of the population.

Oh, I expect that it is a rather smaller percentage than that.

Agreed. Especially since even from the example it is 20% (1 in 5, or 1:4) rather than the 25% i mentioned. Was trying to be... diplomatic.

Point is - it is likely that nobody ever sees themselves acting like the boss in the video. At yet, most of us must be acting like that at least sometimes.

[SmoothOper]

It emphasized one observation that I had made years ago. I call it 'boxing the expert'.

Management often has preconceived ideas of what the expert's field is, and what it's limitations are. They put the expert in a conceptual box, but the expert doesn't even know that such a box exists.

When faced with an expert who tells them that they are wrong, management won't address the issue at hand, rather they try to push the expert back into their predefined box. This leads to bizarre discussions in which the expert is trying to assert certain facts, and management does not reply directly, rather they say that the such opinions are irrelevant or off topic.

I think the behaviors exhibited are too extensive and varied to be so easily categorized. Take the graphic designer for example why does she jump on board. Just to say, whatever it is an expert knows must not be as important as kittens... Reminds of my previous job we literally spent like two months talking about the color of the chart histogram it would upset me if I didn't get more money at my next job.

[Splatted]

Glad to see so many people enjoyed this while I was away.

My own take on the video is that it's less of an indictment of foolish business people (though it may well be intended as such) and more a comment on how people in general approach a problem when they completely lack the requisite knowledge to solve it. I've never been in that kind of business situation but the way those people acted was still painfully familiar and I feel like I've been on both sides of this situation many times. It can seem both hilarious and stupid when you understand the subject in question (especially in the video which deals with things everyone knows), but the truth is that it's actually quite sensible; when you don't know how to deal with a problem you experiment with different ideas and see how it works, and in this kind of situation that means saying "what if..." to the expert.

Ideally the expert should also be asking questions back so that he/she can understand the business's goals and come up with solutions that aren't what was asked but get the job done. I imagine this also makes them seem stupid sometimes (when they completely miss the point of what was asked for), but in the end that's not what matters.

Of course some people are just stupid.

Hi Splatted -- interesting. Do you happen to know the background of the sketch ?
Was it a student film project, or... ?

I'm afraid I only know what it says in the video description: that it was based on a Russian short story.

[EdLee]

I'm afraid I only know what it says in the video description: that it was based on a Russian short story.

Hi Splatted, thanks.

Ah, a quick search returns many relevant links -- Lauris Beinerts
Indeed, it's pro level.