When ignorance is not bliss

WE all know someone whom we doubt really knows what they're talking about but manages to fake it pretty well. What this behaviour, which many people exhibit to some degree or other, points to is a cognitive bias known as the Dunning-Kruger effect (DKE), where "people suffering the most among their peers from ignorance or incompetence fail to recognise just how much they suffer from it".

While mostly amusing or mildly annoying, such blustery behaviour in the workplace can lead to bad decisions or poor outcomes. In Brunch this Saturday in The Business Times Weekend, we discuss how to deal with DKE-prone staff, peers or bosses, and how to avoid it.

Cubicle Files takes the discussion in a different direction, exploring a "deeply flawed" system that rewards arrogance rather than humility, and loudness rather than wisdom.

In The Raffles Conversation, we talk to Alex Gorsky, chairman and CEO of the biggest healthcare company in the world, Johnson & Johnson. He shares how the group plans to navigate today's sprawling consumer landscape.

Still on healthcare, CFA Singapore Insights sets out how to assess the business of medicine, to evaluate healthcare companies.

The attraction of a fund that pitches steady returns with low volatility is hard to beat. But investors eyeing the end result don't always see why the fund performs, or whether its underlying strategies can continue to ride out rough times. This Time Is Different explains why.

As the first carmaker to launch a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in Singapore, Porsche has had a long time to perfect the technology. The Steering Column test drives its latest, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo.

And our resident Barfly introduces a fresh take on a charming classic cocktail, the Bee's Knees.

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