Curse of Knowledge
The curse of knowledge is the theory that people who know a topic best may struggle to explain it to others. For example, an engineer who designed a product who can't explain it in plain language.Proprietary Knowledge
Individuals who gain proprietary knowledge may have difficulty in relating that back to general principles or common knowledge. For example, a longtime employee of a bank who knows everything about that bank's processes. Such an employee may accidentally assume that terminology used only by their team is well known across their industry.Overspecialization
Overspecialization is when an individual learns a great deal of highly specific knowledge without understanding the context of that knowledge. For example, an expert in configuring a specific brand of wifi router who doesn't understand basic principles of networking or computing. Such an individual may have trouble adapting to change in their industry.Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is the practice of using artifacts of authority such as rules to extend your personal power over others. This can be viewed as trained incapacity whereby you learn sets of rules and take them far too seriously while missing the bigger picture.Convergent Thinking
Convergent thinking is the process of coming up with a known correct answer by applying a known method. This can be contrasted with divergent thinking that invents answers to questions that have no single correct answer. People educated in a system focused on convergent thinking may lose divergent thinking abilities that once came naturally to them.Resistance to Change
Trained incapacity can be used to explain the common tendency for people to resist organizational change. When habit replaces creative and critical thought, a system starts to feel concrete, unchangeable and important. This is only a comfortable illusion as the real world is in a constant drive to change.Overview
Trained incapacity is the tendency for knowledge and experience to solidify views and assumptions to the point that an individual may struggle to be creative or adapt to change.
| Overview: Trained Incapacity | ||
Type | ||
Definition | Education, training, experience or habits that lead to an inability to think beyond a set of constraints and assumptions. | |
Related Concepts | ||
