Gladwell at Gartner Event: Look out for Radical Problem Superspreaders

The best-selling author and host of the “Revisionist History” podcast explored leadership lessons from the pandemic, cyberattacks, bank robberies and more

Shane Snider, Senior Writer

October 23, 2024

1 Min Read
Author and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell addresses attendees at Gartner's IT Symposium/Xpo 2024 in Orlando, Florida.
Author and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell addresses attendees at Gartner's IT Symposium/Xpo 2024 in Orlando, Florida.Shane Snider

Author and speaker Malcolm Gladwell probably wasn’t an obvious choice to give a guest keynote for an audience of IT leaders gathered this week at Gartner’s IT Symposium/Xpo in Orlando, Florida. His books and talks mostly focus on looking at social issues from different perspectives.

But a packed ballroom of CIOs and other IT leaders learned that a conventional approach to problem solving could lead to catastrophe – especially when dealing with “radically asymmetrical” problems that don’t adhere to a normal curve of distribution. Gladwell cited several events that defied conventional wisdom, where the culprit was an exception.

From a faulty assumption by health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic, to a particularly gifted North Korean cybercriminal, to LA’s explosion of bank robberies in the 1990s – homing in on outliers may have produced better outcomes and solutions, Gladwell contends.

While a normal distribution would be the default way of viewing a problem, where the offenders fit into a category along with many others, radically asymmetrical problems defy a normal distribution, placing the culprits on the extreme.

Read the full story from AI Business' sister publication Information Week

About the Author

Shane Snider

Senior Writer, InformationWeek

Shane Snider is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of industry experience. He started his career as a general assignment reporter and has covered government, business, education, technology and much more. He was a reporter for the Triangle Business Journal, Raleigh News and Observer and most recently a tech reporter for CRN. He was also a top wedding photographer for many years, traveling across the country and around the world. He lives in Raleigh with his wife and two children.

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