The "Regulatory Mentality" and "Mastermind" orientation like to flatter themselves into believing that they know what is best for you and your situation. These regulators and masterminds often live in a world of bulk statistics and "big picture" numbers -- polls, census, economic trends, map databases and related measurements -- that give them apparent "god like" views of the regulated landscape.
Implicit in your interactions with the regulatory mastermind mentality: "What could you and your little perspective possible know? We see the big picture."
Unfortunately -- in the routine daily / monthly / yearly work-cycle of the regulatory estate -- all too often a "full loop" feedback is missing -- and is epistemologically and/or politically "broken."
Brokend Feedback Loop (modified from Wikipedia)
Big Mastermind Decision Makers are very rarely required to face the risk and consequences of their interpretations and "understanding" of the observed numbers -- and the effected regulatory takings and mandated regulatory "law" (regulations that have the effect and weight of statutory law -- until testing in court).
Big Decisions Makers are running "open loop" and not "closed loop" in the short term -- and -- also often in the long term -- for both feedback scope and effect. These masterminds rarely are required to "eat their own dog food" -- and live fat and happy off your taxes and fees -- and your "chasing-your-own-tail" efforts at "regulatory compliance."
PARALLEL EXAMPLE: Airlines -- and especially pilots -- must live and work in world of atmospheric environmental measurements and navigational observations -- and the quite literally "on the fly" real-time interpretations of the numbers -- can make the difference between life and death.
VIDEO: To help illustrate and see a "Real Life" example, where key decision makers bet their lives -- and the lives of others -- a video treat. This video explores the key questions: “What do we know – and how do we know it?” -- and "Oh, No! What now?"
Varig Boeing 737-241 (from Wikipedia)
BRAIN JOURNEY: When you have about a hour -- get a coffee or a beer -- sit down in front of the computer or big screen media center -- and watch this YouTube video: Varig Flight 254 -- and the air crash investigation circa 1989-1990. Please note how both pilots' blew a "simple" instrument setting -- and failed to use 2nd & 3rd verification navigational data. The pilots apparently so trusted the electronic in-flight navigational instruments -- they even ignored visual navigational evidence of the sun, the moon and the stars -- just out the window.
44 Min VIDEO: Varig Flight 254
SMARTER DECISION MAKER SHOPPING: Let your mind “float” with the video narrative -- as presented -- and ask yourself this question: “When should the key decision makers have known they were in trouble?”
Internally watch your how both your objective and subjective mind responds to the narrative and flow of facts.
Afterwards, please reflect on how million and billion dollar decision makers operate relative to this example. This is fun -- and astounding cross training compare for those engaged in "regulatory compliance." Just like pilots who set a simple compass number wrong -- so do regulators make "simple" yet fatal mistakes.
BACKGROUND: Why these air crash investigations? What relevance do they have to the regulatory compliance "process"? Three reasons:
(a) In high school and college, this author worked on fixed and roto wing aircraft for four years, picked up several wrecks -- a couple with fatalities -- and wondered why people did the dumb things with their lives and expensive equipment,
(b) Aircraft instruments are much like a scientific experiment -- providing repeatable measurements of the atmospheric environment -- and the navigational observational evidence external to the aircraft. Short of a triple instrument error -- and a complete "brain fart" breakdown in "seat-of-the-pants" mental monitoring and pilot's flight "Situation Awareness" (SitRep) -- the only wild card for understanding and correctly betting your life are the pilots' INTERPRETATIONS of the instrument readings,
(c) Back in the late 1990s -- both a key mentor scientist -- and an equipment sales rep -- introduced this author to the formal background of "Epistemology" -- how we know what we think we know. Or as the book title sez: "How we know what isn't so."
These air crash investigations are fast feedback, risk-consequence mini brain-processing laboratory “experiments” -- where “correct” and “whole cloth” SitRep interpretation of the instrument data results in a safe arrival -- and “incorrect” interpretations result in painful outcomes. A knife edge test and result missing from most “science” based hypothesis testing -- and regulatory / political wishful thinking.
OVER-RIDING REPTILIAN BRAIN FUNCTION: There is another Mayday-Air Crash investigation video -- that brings in an “extra” decision cycle biological factor: The highly biased data of the human reptilian brain complex -- and how the inner ear and vertigo information swirling & mixing in the brain -- dominates and overwhelms the mind's interpretation of the instrument data. A “ghost” in the organic “machinery” of the brain.
China Airlines 006 (from Wikipedia)
After you watch the above video -- search on YouTube for "China Air 006" and "panic over the pacific" -- and note how the reptilian brains of the pilots mix with the instrument data in a less than useful manner.
UPSHOT: Near real-time feedback is critical for "enforcing" good decision cycles. The Mayday-Air Crash Investigation video series -- and how pilots make life-and-death decisions via hard instrument observations -- and human brain SitRep interpretations -- illustrate a "full loop" risk-consequence decision cycle -- with real, short term harm and consequences. This "full loop" feedback is missing in the "regulatory compliance" working world. The Mastermind Decision Makers are not betting their lives and careers -- as are the pilots of aircraft. TAKE AWAY? To obtain a "better" and "more sane" regulatory landscape -- the goal of every "compliance" expert should be to close the loop -- and bring the consequences of Mastermind decisions and choices home -- and onto the heads of the Masterminds.
To quote from Shakepeare's Henry V -- "All things be ready if our minds be so."
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