1. Introduction: Cognitive Vulnerability as a New Strategic Risk in the Information Age
In today's "information storm," traditional personnel assessment approaches based on measuring intelligence (IQ) are rapidly losing their predictive power. For decades, businesses have relied on the idea that hiring the smartest employees automatically leads to better decisions. However, today we face a fundamental problem that science calls an "evolutionary mismatch": our neurobiological architecture, evolved for survival in small social groups, is ill-equipped for the exponential growth of digital stimuli.
This gap creates the dysrationalia paradox: teams composed of highly intelligent professionals make catastrophically irrational decisions. High IQ, as research shows, not only fails to protect against bias but can even amplify it, enabling the construction of complex and convincing justifications for erroneous beliefs. This "smart stupidity" is becoming a key threat to modern business, capable of nullifying any technological or financial advantage.
The "General Theory of Stupidity" (G-Theory), developed by researcher Igor Petrenko, offers a practical model for navigating this new reality. It is not an academic abstraction, but an engineering tool for diagnosing and managing functional cognitive vulnerability in a corporate environment. G-Theory shifts the focus from "how smart are our employees?" to "how resilient is our decision-making system to cognitive failure?". Understanding this model is the first and necessary step toward building a more rational, resilient, and competitive organization of the future.
2. G-Theory Basics: Diagnosing Organizational "Stupidity"
Strategic advantage today lies in shifting from assessing individuals to assessing system vulnerabilities. G-Theory allows us to measure not intelligence per se, but the resilience of the entire decision-making system to external pressure. It provides a way to quantify the risk that an organization, possessing all the necessary data and talent, will make the wrong decision.
Within this model, "Stupidity" (G) is defined as a functional cognitive vulnerability—a systemic failure of the control architecture that occurs under the pressure of information and social factors. It is important to emphasize: this is not a characteristic of an individual's mind, but a state of maladaptation of the system as a whole, when it loses the ability to act in its long-term interests.
The G-formula analyzes three key components, which can be viewed as three levels of diagnostics for business:
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1. Internal Vulnerability (B_err/I + B_mot)
This is an individual risk factor composed of two parts: random cognitive errors (B_err), which do decrease with higher intelligence (I), and "motivated reasoning" (B_mot)—ideological bias that is independent of intelligence. The "Smart Fanatic" example (IQ=150, G=0.65) vividly illustrates how high IQ can be used not to seek the truth, but for a more sophisticated defense of irrational beliefs, making such an employee potentially more dangerous to the organization. -
2. Environmental Load (D * (1 + γS) / A)
This is the most critical component of the model. It measures the toxicity of the work environment, where social pressure (S) acts as an amplifier that multiplies the effect of digital noise (D). This destructive force can only be mitigated by the limited attention resource of employees (A). Thus, a conformist culture makes the information environment exponentially more toxic, leading to a sharp drop in rationality regardless of skill level or intelligence. -
3. Social Context (S * (1-C) / E)
This component describes the cultural factor. Group pressure and the drive for conformity (S), leading to "groupthink," can be significantly reduced through developed critical thinking (C) and the capacity for emotional regulation (E) within the collective. A strong corporate culture that encourages doubt and emotional stability creates immunity to irrational narratives.
Conclusion for Leaders: You cannot simply "hire smart people" and expect rational results. If you place them in a high-noise environment (High D) with a culture of conformity (High S) and constant distractions (Low A), they will degrade cognitively. This is a law of the system, not a flaw of the people.
3. Key Variables: Where to Look?
To implement G-Theory, it is necessary to learn how to identify its variables in real processes.
D (Digital Noise) — Information Overload
Symptoms:
- Employees are drowning in emails, Slack/Teams chats, and endless meetings.
- Decision-making is paralyzed by "analysis paralysis"—too much data, too little meaning.
- Focus constantly shifts; deep work is impossible.
Danger: When D > 0.7 (critical threshold), the brain switches to "survival mode" (System 1), relying on heuristics and stereotypes instead of logic.
A (Attention Control) — The Main Resource
Symptoms:
- Constant multitasking.
- High level of anxiety and burnout.
- Inability to hold a complex context in mind for more than 15 minutes.
Role: Attention is the filter. If the filter is clogged (Low A), the noise (D) floods the system.
S (Social Pressure) — The Conformity Amplifier
Symptoms:
- Meetings where everyone nods but no one argues.
- Fear of voicing an unpopular opinion ("Hippo effect" — Highest Paid Person's Opinion).
- Decisions are made based on politics, not facts.
Role: S acts as a multiplier. In a toxic culture, noise becomes unbearable.
4. The "Stupidity Singularity": The Worst-Case Scenario
The model predicts a catastrophic state called the "Stupidity Singularity." This occurs when:
- D > 0.7 (High Noise)
- A < 0.5 (Low Attention)
- S > 0.6 (High Conformity)
In this state, G grows exponentially. The organization effectively loses its mind. It continues to function, generate reports, and hold meetings, but its connection to reality is severed. It begins to hallucinate—pursuing phantom goals, ignoring obvious risks, and aggressively defending its delusions. This is the death of rationality.
5. Roadmap: From Theory to Practice
How to prevent a singularity? G-Theory suggests a strategy of "Cognitive Hygiene."
Step 1: Audit (Measure G)
- Conduct an anonymous survey to assess S (fear of speaking up).
- Analyze digital traces to assess D (volume of messages, meeting hours).
- Identify "bottlenecks" where attention (A) is systematically broken.
Step 2: Reduce Noise (Decrease D)
- "Quiet Hours": Introduce mandatory periods of silence (no meetings/chats) for deep work.
- Information Diet: Limit the number of participants in meetings (Amazon's "Two Pizza Rule").
- Asynchronous Communication: Replace status meetings with written reports.
Step 3: Protect Attention (Increase A)
- Training: Teach employees attention management techniques (mindfulness, Pomodoro).
- Ergonomics: Create physical spaces for focused work.
- Culture of Focus: Respect someone else's focus as a sacred resource. Do not distract without an emergency.
Step 4: Reduce Conformity (Decrease S, Increase C)
- "Devil's Advocate": Appoint a person in every key meeting whose role is to challenge the consensus.
- Psychological Safety: Reward, don't punish, for finding errors and voicing doubts.
- Diverse Teams: Cognitive diversity destroys groupthink.
Conclusion
Implementing G-Theory is not just "HR optimization." It is a matter of organizational survival. In a world where the volume of information doubles every year, the ability to filter noise and maintain clarity of thought becomes the main competitive advantage.
We cannot simply "become smarter" biologically. But we can design organizations that are smarter than their individual parts. We can build "Cognitive Arks"—systems where noise is filtered, attention is protected, and truth is valued above conformity. This is the challenge of the 21st century. And G-Theory gives us the blueprints for this ark.