Abstract The study challenges the conventional belief that expertise enhances crisis decision‐making. Analyzing crisis simulations, it reveals that crisis cells with minimal expertise achieved a commendable 69% decision quality, surpassing those with specialists. The research underscores the importance of collective intelligence and adherence to fundamental ‘metarules’ in decision‐making, irrespective of expertise. It questions the presumed benefits of expertise, suggesting that excessive reliance on experts may hinder information processing and flexibility during crises. The findings advocate for a reconsideration of the role of expertise in crisis management, emphasizing the significance of collective decision‐making and adherence to metarules. The study calls for further exploration of expert leaders' potential influence within crisis cells.