Models
MODELS THAT MONOPOLIZE THE MIND
Willy A. Sussland
My previous article “The Five Tutors of Thought†called attention to the nbsp;fact that we only see what we are looking at, and the perspective that we take can acutely affect our thinking process.
Thinking forms our vision, our virtues, and our valuations. It takes time, talents, and it may take training to produce the performances we want to achieve.
Too often we do not take our train of thoughts to the terminal station,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; we stop way before†French philosopher René Descartes
Sometimes we fall in thinking-traps such as narrow focus, short-termism, and personal agendas.nbsp; Sometimes we cannot take our train of thoughts to the terminal station because we get stuck with a traditional model that monopolizes our mindset. And so we keep reverting to it in spite of the fact that it constrains creative compositions and that it leads to failures. This type of mental-traps is particularly insidious because it tends to perpetuate itself.
Many factors explain why people let a traditional model monopolize their mind such as being comfortable with what worked well in the past, fear to try something new, or just intellectual indolence or incapacity. We can accept that manual workers focus on their simple tasks, however what is most surprising it that traditional models can monopolize the mind of executives.
In his long experience a strategy adviser to CEOs, Prof. Roger Martin has found that some executives keep reverting to the same model over and over again, and, if the expected results are not achieved, they just blame it on their application rather than looking for a better solution. In his excellent “A New Way to Thinkâ€, Prof. Roger Martin shows 14 cases where traditional methods can be effectively replaced by other models. (1)
Business-leaders should be able to spot and to correct some of the simple mental-traps that stymie the thinking process of their team-members. However, executives and managers that get trapped by a traditional model and that keep doing more the same without getting any positive results may need some tool and some positive team-members to open their mind.
In my previous article I suggested that the tutors of thought involving the systemic, synergistic, stimulating, simplifying, and swiftness thinking can help people at the different levels and in the different functions to break-up models that monopolize their mind before they break up the organization !
The 5 tutors of thought are simple in their concept, and they can be applied individually or in relatively small groups. Hereafter, some guidelines.
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SYSTEMIC THINKING
People can see the organizational structures, they can see the business-model the company uses to conquer market-share. But often they do not understand the factors that drive the company business system with their interactions. This easily leads them to focus on a part of the system and to miss the complexities of the organization.
I have come across many organizational and strategic models but have not seen many models of the company business system. So, I have developed one, which is comprehensive, connective, and creative as it combines internal as well as external elements, the tangible and the intangible resources, the present performances and dealing with the anticipated future prospects. I have published it in “The Five Forces of Enterpriseâ€. (2)
Starting discussion on key issues by placing them in the comprehensive and dynamic context of the company business system before diving in the dust of details enables people to keep an open mind and to conceive connective, creative, and constructive interactions inside as well as outside the organization.
SYNERGISTIC THINKING
The systemic thinking focuses on the main factors of the company business system. To explore the synergies of the factors of the company business system we need to lay out the force components. In my article “Innovate Product Innovation†I laid out the force components of the consumer value-chain and the force components of the enterprise value-chain.
Thus we can evaluate the synergies on each of the two aforementionednbsp; chains. Then we can put the two value-chains side by side and evaluate the effectiveness of their synergies.
STIMUATING THINKING
Reviewing and reimagining the links of the value-chains we can develop ideas on what could be improved or even what could be innovated. This can stimulate us to conceive programs or products that could substantially create new business-value.
Of course, the programs or products what we come up with must be tested and possibly undergo improvements.
SIMPLIFICATION AND SWIFTNESS THINKING
Before launching the programs or products we have come up with, it may be wise to check whether they can be simplified and whether their deployment can be accelerated.
CLOSING REMARKS
The 5 tutors of thought form a logical creative and connective process that should be applied to decisions concerning important issues. Taken in their logical sequence they broaden the views, and they should help avoid mental-traps. To this effect, the leader of a discussion group can remind their purpose and structure the discussions in that order.
References
1.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; R. L. Martin “Anew Way to Think†HBRP 2022
2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; W. A. Sussland “The Five Forces of Enterprise†Kindle 2023
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