This is much like the perception test where what we see is to a great extent influenced by our individual predilections. Were we to view the same picture with a group of people with exactly the same background, values, and education as our own, chances are we would all see the same image. On the surface, this kind of vision bias may seem harmless enough. However, for a corporation in a highly competitive world market where economic survival is at stake, the ramifications of a narrow perspective can mean failure to see an obvious solution. The results can be devastating.
Statistics show that most breakthroughs are made here.
To discount ideas from the fringe and to assume that what is being said is not nearly as important as who's saying it is just another variation of tunnel vision. This type of arrogance can compromise a company and its products. The problem was not just the generic one of not knowing the customer. It went deeper than that. It was the result of not having taken a diverse cultural view of the market in the first place.