Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

132 Paradox of Unanimity

Extreme agreement in a diverse population is more likely the result of error than of consensus.

The paradox of unanimity occurs when data are, in effect, too uniform to be true. Paradoxically, when large groups of people agree on something too much, or the data from complex systems are too consistent, or the results from analysis conform to expectations too well, then it is more likely to be evidence of systemic error, bias, or corruption than to actually be true. For example, from 2009 to 2015, Volkswagen sold cars in the United States equipped with a secret software “defeat device” that enabled its vehicles to cheat and pass emission tests. The fraud was discovered when experts found that emissions from older Volkswagens ...