Security quote of the week

Don't know any links, but I think the research was done in the financial arena. And it's basic psychology. It's *important* to include outsiders and women.

The more your team is composed of male "experts", the more likely they are to re-inforce each others prejudices and biases, and end up going down a disastrous rabbit hole.

Women are far more likely to seek outside advice.

Outsiders are far more likely to question the experts' beliefs. (If you know me on LWN, look at how I'm quite happy to challenge well-known names. Sometimes I make a fool of myself, sometimes I'm bang on the money, and I hope the linux guys take another look at what they're doing. At the end of the day, I'm calling out what looks to me like bullshit. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't, but a second look is hopefully good value ...)

Both, if the women and outsiders have sufficient clout, result in far better decision making.

Very noticeable when dealing with company boards and non-exec directors. Outsider non-execs who take their role seriously are strongly associated with good performance of their companies. Weak and/or puppet non-execs and execs are strongly associated with rockets - the performance looks wonderful until they explode ...

But there is research, as far as I am aware, that says these insights are real elsewhere as well.

Cheers,
Wol