Glossarytaught in M6.04, M7.05
Herding
Also called herd behaviour, crowding.
Following what others are doing rather than acting on independent judgement.
Its professional form is career risk. A manager who is wrong alongside everyone else keeps their job; one who is wrong alone doesn't, which makes deviating from the consensus expensive regardless of whether it's correct.
At market level, crowded positions become more crowded until they reverse, and the reversal is violent because everyone is on the same side.
Independent judgement is expensive because it's rare.