THE PRINCIPLE OF MISPLACED EMPHASIS
A Bug in Rational Decision Making
Why do smart decisions fail? Not from lack of intelligence but from misplaced emphasis. In this groundbreaking work, the decision scientists Prof. Prem Vrat and Dr. Nitin Gupta reveal that the core issue is misplaced emphasis: our tendency to over focus on the visible, urgent, or comfortable, while neglecting the foundational and enduring.
Drawing on systems theory, behavioural economics, and real world cases ranging from career choices to policy failures, this book uncovers the seven forces that skew our focus and provides actionable frameworks to realign attention where it matters most.
Whether you’re a leader, policymaker, educator, or simply someone navigating critical life choices, The Principle of Misplaced Emphasis offers a powerful lens to see where your attention goes and why; so that you can design decisions that serve purpose, not just comfort. This book will help you complete the decision making jigsaw puzzle with the right fit, because the best decisions aren’t smart..... they’re balanced.
Write your review for this book (optional)
Review Deleted
Your review has been deleted and won’t appear on the book anymore.
Prof. Prem Vrat, Dr. Nitin Gupta
Prof. Prem Vrat is Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and IIIT Kalyani and earlier served as Chairman BOG of IIT Mandi (2020–2023). He is Pro-Chancellor, Professor of Eminence, and Chief Mentor at The NorthCap University, Gurugram, and previously served as Professor of Eminence at Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurugram. He has held several leadership roles including Founder-Director of IIT Roorkee and Vice-Chancellor of U.P. Technical University, Lucknow. At IIT Delhi he served as Professor, Head of the Centre for Management Studies, Dean, Deputy Director, and Officiating Director, and also taught at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. With more than 57 years of teaching, research, and consulting experience, he has guided 50 PhD scholars and published over 523 research papers with more than 11,500 citations. He has authored seven books and received numerous honours.
Dr. Nitin Gupta is a practitioner–scholar specializing in rational decision-making, leadership, and organizational behaviour. With over 25 years of experience across manufacturing, telecom,retail, BPO, manpower services, and HR consulting, he has worked with organizations such as Nokia, Airtel, Genpact, IKEA, and Quess Corp. Currently serving in C-suite and advisory roles in the Middle East, he has led large-scale transformations and governance initiatives. He holds a PhD in Strategic Management under the mentorship of Prof. Prem Vrat. His book The Principle of Misplaced Emphasis – A Bug in Rational Decision Making examines why intelligent individuals and organizations often make irrational choices, arguing that many decision failures arise from misplaced attention on the wrong variables.
