Rational brain · Judgment & Decision Science
Regret Avoidance Drift
Choosing the default or the consensus option to avoid being blamed if things go wrong; nobody was fired for buying the incumbent, and the incumbent knows it.
An everyday example
Picking the market-leading vendor with the worse fit because the failure would be defensible.
What it can cost you
Optimising for blame-avoidance rather than outcome; being sold defensibility.
Warning signs
- I am choosing what I can justify, not what works.
- The incumbent's pitch is safety.
One thing to do
Separate the two questions in writing: which option is best, and which is most defensible; if they differ, make the case for the best one.
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