Maggie's Farm

An experiment that has been repeated in undergraduate classes many times: Give a test to an entire class (the NASA test is a favorite) and rank the scores. Put all the best scores together, second quadrant, third quadrant, worst scores together. Tell everyone where they ranked individually, but NOT that the rest of their group is similar. Have all four groups discuss it and each retake it as a group. Usually, the highest-scoring group will do worse when they are together, each of them convinced they need to get the group to do it their way. The second and third groups improve their scores, because they listen to each other, but also have some confidence they got things at least partly right. The worst group gets even worse - almost random.

We should be run by the group that got 1200-1400 on their SAT's, not the 1400-1600's. We should send that latter group out to do research and be advisors, but not to mind the store. Even the 1000-1200's should be given a shot at leadership before the highest group.