Leaning into our instinct to solve problems and make decisions is nothing new. Leading academics have long debated it, bestsellers have been written on it (see Gary Klein’s seminal The Power of Intuition) and some of business’s greatest success stories have been driven by intuitive choices. 

Back in 1914, facing falling demand for cars and high employee turnover, Henry Ford doubled his staff’s wages. It might have sounded crazy (especially to investors and stakeholders), but within a year Ford’s turnover dropped by a factor of more than 20, productivity doubled, and demand for Ford cars soared among its workers who could now afford them. 

So much has changed since Henry Ford’s tenure—most of all, our access to data. When you level up and the decisions get more challenging and lonelier to make, it’s tempting to depend on data-driven insights. However, relying on data alone risks losing the best ideas. The ones that might sound risky can really drive us forward. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.