1. World problems
  2. Exaggeration of programme achievements

Exaggeration of programme achievements

  • Exaggeration of research significance
  • Technological hype
  • Exaggeration of organization performance

Incidence

The Challenger space shuttle disaster has been seen as deriving from failure to effectively report on the inadequate performance of the O-rings used as sealants. Officials responsible for developing an anti-missile system to defend the USA were discovered in 1992 to have repeatedly exaggerated the achievements of space experiments and flight tests conducted in 1990 to demonstrate the success of their research efforts. The seven tests each cost between $12 million and $50 million. More questions remained unanswered than were publicly acknowledged by programme officials. During the Gulf War, the performance of high tech weaponry was repeatedly exaggerated, partly to confuse the enemy and partly to facilitate future sales of such products.

Claim

To compensate for the "bad news", including that emanating from the doomsday think-tankers, there is a backlash into "good news". In addition the capacity for dealing with negative feedback is being eroded by other priorities (career, funding, etc.), especially when there is a despairing sense that nothing can be successfully achieved. Thus the art of report writing in many institutions, especially at the international level, is increasingly understood in terms of upbeat writing that avoids any negatives and exaggerates whatever is required to maintain the status quo or create the illusion of satisfactory progress.

Aggravates

Aggravated by

Doom-mongering
Presentable

Strategy

Value

Significance
Yet to rate
Organization
Yet to rate
Nonperformance
Yet to rate
Insignificance
Yet to rate
Exaggeration
Yet to rate

SDG

Sustainable Development Goal #9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Metadata

Database
World problems
Type
(F) Fuzzy exceptional problems
Subject
  • Research, standards » Research
  • Technology » Technology
  • Content quality
    Yet to rate
     Yet to rate
    Language
    English
    Last update
    Nov 28, 2022