Despite heavy investment in ‘thought leadership’, organisations with deep expertise are frequently indistinguishable from those producing high volume generic output.
Frontline advisors, clients, journalists and policymakers readily recognise but struggle to find authoritative expertise, says Richard Chaplin.
In theory, authority emerges from sustained, high-quality contribution over time; in reality, expert identification is often driven by self-assertion, internal hierarchy or brand visibility, none of which correlate cleanly with true depth of expertise. The consequences are significant, leading to lost work when an optimal expert is overlooked, poor market positioning that renders services invisible, and missed media or policy opportunities because credible voices go unheard.
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