C=COMPLEXITY
Many different things and events simultaneously impacting life and work.
Systemic impact: very hard to make sense of or even find meaning in that which is occurring every day. Slow thinking rather than fast thinking
Personal impact: must often spend considerable amount of time trying to figure out what is happening before making decisions or taking actions.
MODES OFTHOUGHT
Fast Thinking
• Habitual: embedded neural pathways (often unconscious)
• Heuristics (“rules of thumb”)
• Often used
• Often accurate• Occasionally inaccurate misleading and sources of biases and prejudices
Slow Thinking
• Requires rational thought: pre-frontal cortex
• Testing existing assumptions
• “Stop in our tracks: don’t’ just do something, stand there!”
• Avoiding biases and prejudices
PERFORMING IN A WORLD OF COMPLEXITY
Triangulation: Seek out information from multiple (at least three) sources, making use of multiple methods (at least three).
A=AMBIGUITY
Many of the things and events happening are quite confusing and often not very easy to observe clearly and consistently.
Systemic impact: can’t trust accuracy of that which we see or hear or what “experts” tell us. Social constructivism rather than objectivism
Personal impact: often must look and listen a second and third time to ensure that what is seen or heard is accurate.
OBJECTIVISM
• An objectivist perspective is one in which it is assumed that:
• Reality can be found and confirmed
• We can be objective in discovering what is real
• Scientific evidence is supreme!
CONSTRUCTIVISM
• A constructive perspective is one in which it is assumed that:
• Reality can never be found because the tools of confirmation are themselves arbitrary and embedded in a societal context
• Alternative narratives are to be heard and honored.
PLATO’S CAVE: OLD AND NEW ALLIGORY
Old Cove: Those dwelling in the cave see only the images on the wall of the cave that are cast by the fire and believe this is reality.
New Cave One: There is a barrier between fire and wall. Only part of the fire’s image is conveyed as images on the waif. Only part of the “false” reality is being seen by cave dwellers.
New Cave Two: The cave dwellers don’t even see the partial images on the wall. They listen to someone who tells them what the images are and what they mean.
New Cave Three: This cave is embedded in another cave which is embedded in yet another cave—there are nothing but caves within caves!
PERFORMING IN A WORLD FILLED WITH AMBIGUITY
Agility of Thought and Action: Hold on to multiple perspectives (valuing the diversity-which leads to better and more creative solutions) and consider multiple options for action before moving forward (toward a compelling image of the future).
