Thinking outside the box?

You might want to think again, or so says Rasul Sha'ir poses the question in June 2007 saying:

"Thinking outside the box is no longer the golden rule. It kept you on the cutting edge of creative problem solving for sourcing, making and marketing goods in a manufacturing based economy. Ladies and gentlemen, if in 2007 this phrase is still rolling off your tongues, please consider yourself outdated ... Today’s challenges require thinking for a post-industrial economy. A new market where proliferating technologies, changing business models, and the shifting dimensions of globalization are the order of the day. For platinum status you have to think at the intersection." (emphasis mine)

A favourite activity for me is provocative inquiry--and I figure that's a great example! Tony Nguyen comment's on the blog, "there is no box" and adds a great origami metaphor--brilliant.

But, thinking outside the box is still a stretch for many organisations. The tried and true, the checklists that eliminate the risk that staff may actually think and proact instead of react and obey. Processes that inhibit change are de rigeur in risk averse cultures and risk averse cultures may be more the norm than not. It is a sometimes overwhelming thought for those of us who strive to liberate the potential of individuals and groups.

"Thinking at the intersection" has great resonance from our perspective at IRM Strategies where we place the person at the centre of building capacity. That relies on a conscious awareness of the myriad factors and attributes that can be brought to bear in a given context, and application of knowledge and skills to make the most of opportunity.

I see it as a continuum from very controlled environments replicate past success to very capable environments that draw what works from the past and integrate it with what works today--and holds potential for tomorrow.

There's a cost, however. When one is working with people in a hierarchically driven risk averse culture, those who risk growing into themselves and realizing their potential also risk isolation and growing apart from their social networks and familiar frame of operation. It's not an overnight journey, but there is no going back.

For some, just as they are climbing out of the proverbial box, they discover that it is smack in the middle of the intersection. A roadmap helps!

Global warming...is attributing cause the biggest issue?

Flying into Bangkok last week, I noted the very flat terrain we had flown over for some time, and the milliions of people resident upon it. While acknowledging that I have not had time to digest everything in the article written by S. Fred Singer, Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia's School of Environmental Sciences, his notion of a "silver lining for the frigid regions of Russia and Canada" seems to come at the unacknowledged expense of millions of disrupted (at best) lives throughout the nether lands of the world. It is a strange sort of position to take, IMHO. He does acknowledge that the real issues are political with risk to health and welfare including war a likely result of mismanagement of the issues. But, then he provides a sop to those who say "manyana" (sorry about the spelling I can't put an enya on the n).

While the debate over man-made versus natural continues, the fact is that the world seems headed for startling changes that will affect millions of people. The notion that humankind has no affect is just a little, dare I say, irresponsible.

We can have a positive impact...why on earth (!) would we take a position that supports the "why bother, s'not my fault" viewpoint?

What do we need to know to:

• fully recognise the need for action;


• understand what action the average person can take within his/her own context;


• determine the meaningful change that societies sharing a global space can make;


• ensure that gains of the developed world, seemingly reliant on practices that contribute to global exploitation, can be realized in the developing world in ways that do not replicate and exacerbate the problems?

Exploring this ground is a fascinating and important mind-game. What are your thoughts?