# Mind the technocratic gap By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-08-25 It is very easy for analytics professionals to become technocrats or supporters of the idea that organizations, governments, and societies should be run by technical experts. After all, analytics professionals often are technical experts in their field and most analytics organizations advocate [[data]] and [[technology]]-driven decision-making processes, so it makes sense. They are personally and professionally motivated in this [[power]] alignment direction. While there are arguably benefits to this belief system, there are also pitfalls to be aware of if you wish to pursue it. First, organizations are complex, open systems. Complex systems by their definition are hard to understand and grapple with, which makes complete technical [[expertise]] impossible. Entire fields of science have been created to just study the idea of complex systems and mostly the discoveries have been "it's a lot more complicated than we thought." Essentially, these systems are either so large or so intricate that it's impossible to break down individual elements without inadvertently impacting some other part of the system beyond [[understanding]]. This challenge is compounded by the fact that these systems are also open, which means they exist within a world of many other complex systems. It essentially creates an endless sea of data and experts who each know one part of the whole story that is constantly changing. The amount of [[communication]] required alone to communicate effectively would drown the world in paperwork. At some point, someone has to make a decision that extends beyond our technical [[knowledge]]. Second, technical expertise often requires a narrow focus of intensive study. This creates natural blind spots as it's impossible to be an expert on everything. It can also create a natural sense of superiority. As the saying goes "I didn't go to med school for 8 years to be called mister." These blind spots combined with the potential for expert arrogance make technocrats almost knowingly dismiss the most obvious, [[Pragmatic]], or sensible [[outsider]] recommendations. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Complex Systems]] [[Technocrats]] [[Arrogance]] [[Decision-making]]