Name: Collective Stupidity presented by James Pomeroy
Start: 2026-02-09T13:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-09T15:30:00+00:00
Location: Africa House

Collective Stupidity presented by James Pomeroy

The concept of Collective Stupidity – where group decision-making can be less effective than individual judgement and cause serious failure.
About this Event

We are delighted to welcome James Pomeroy who will explore the concept of Collective Stupidity – where group decision-making can be less effective than individual judgement, increasing the risk of serious failure.

Drawing on Sir Geoff Mulgan’s research and recent high-profile safety and organisational disasters, this session looks beyond traditional “groupthink” to examine the social factors that amplify risk, and the practical remedies organisations can use to make better, safer decisions.

Corporate failures in safety, health and environmental disasters, include Grenfell, the Infected Blood Scandal, Boeing, the Post Office and many others.

Mulgan defines Collective Stupidity as an emergent property of social dynamics and that occurs when the combination of thoughts and actions are less intelligent than those of individuals acting alone.