http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/why-future-business-leaders-need-philosophy
The article at the other end of the link above is not new, but I enjoyed it first time round. It came out of a prior “crisis” that questioned the manner in which we approach the challenges and problems of running successful businesses today. The “crisis-cycle” has moved on, but the issues remain the same, and it’s well worth a re-read.
Are we performing sub-optimally in these times of change, not because we have not been taught to identify issues and resolve them, but because we are so well established in a single way of thinking – at either an industry or corporate level – that we are unable to think critically, or to question the answers that our “business as usual” methodology throws out? Is it that we need different answers to our questions, or do we need an approach that asks a different set of questions as a result of thorough critical analysis? And where will our people develop these skills?
Many of the issues that have caused the well-documented, almost cliché-like, crises to hit businesses and markets, have been highly predictable, but only so in hind-sight. As we look back, the LMX spiral was obvious! The sub-prime mortgage / junk bond issues that led to the financial crisis, a complete no-brainer! Surely anyone at Hoover could see that offering a free flight to the USA would be likely to change the buying behaviour of vacuum cleaner consumers pretty dramatically! However none of these were taken seriously before the event. This can only be because our systems and ways of working do not encourage or facilitate rigorous, thorough and detailed critical thinking that will ask the awkward questions that will help us to navigate the choppy waters of change successfully.
The dangers of Groupthink can’t be overstated. Wikipedia’s definition for Groupthink – a good one, I think – is “a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences”. My favourite example of this is “The Abilene paradox” which was coined by Jerry Harvey, author of “The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management.” The paradox is based on a story of a family that ends up making an uncomfortable trip that none of them wanted to, but which no-one wanted to object to sufficiently to prevent happening. It’s worth following up on, and if you do I’m sure you’ll recognise examples from your own experience and organisation.
It is only disciplined critical thinking that will protect us from more and more of these, especially as the increasingly technical and technological nature of our businesses make it harder to understand the details. The faster our customers, technology, markets and competitive environments change, the more we have to challenge our established assumptions and ways of thinking if we are to remain relevant, competent and successful in the rapidly evolving world. And the more critical it will become to have people who can really (really) think things through and cut to the heart of the real issues.
Bring on the philosophers (I think….).