welcome to underdog intelligence
Hi there!
Thanks for dropping in.
My name is Allon Uhlmann. I am a researcher, instructor and practitioner in intelligence and applied cognition. I have a broad academic experience in anthropology and education. (Click here for a list of select publications.) and I have worked for several years in different areas of intelligence in the public service, industry and civil society.
My main research and professional focus has been on underdog intelligence – how contestants use creative thinking to overcome disadvantage and win contests. I help customers turn information into intelligence — decisive insight and foresight that leads to optimal decision making.
“But why underdog intelligence?” you may wonder. Two reasons:
For those with power, intelligence is a “force multiplier”, an enabler that complements direct force. But in the hands of the less powerful – those who must outsmart more powerful adversaries – intelligence can become the decisive dimension of power. Indeed, some have elevated intelligence to a fine art – deceiving, outmanoeuvring and defeating way more powerful adversaries. So one reason is that underdog intelligence is where the craft becomes an art, where brain beats brawn.
The other reason is that somehow or other my favourite contestants – in sports, politics, society and the economy – have almost always turned out to be clear underdogs. This has left me no choice but to try to work out what underdogs need to do to survive and win, even in adverse circumstances.
