Thinking about Thinking, Creativity, Innovation and Design
It is a misunderstanding to think that the purpose of a creative thinking session is to come up with new ideas or innovative concepts. Nor is it the mere application of a creative thinking technique, however exotic it may be. What then?
How was situation awareness built up in the Coronacrisis and how have(not) considered information multiplied the blundering into disaster?
In the crucial month of February, in those weeks before the major outbreak in Europe, there was still room to stock up on protective equipment, to scale up the laboratories, to expand the purchase and production of test materials, to prepare for the removal of serum with antibodies in healed patients. Only, it didn't happen. …
Continue reading "Thinking about the Spread of the Coronavirus (2) – Concepts"
Managing organizations are in essence establishing coordinating mechanisms. Below we argue that most organizations use Control, that is setting up formal processes of assigning, evaluating, and regulating resources in order to accomplish an organization's goals. This is the generally accepted standard approach to organizing. But can we escape from that? Standard Thinking: Control Most organisations and governments …
Continue reading "The Dominant Designing Idea in Organisations and Public Administrations"
In 2013 we started what seems to have become an end of the year tradition: Interesting Reading Areas. What would be the Interesting Books for the next year?
Throughout history stories have help shaped our minds, our ideas and actions. With the increasing acceleration in information and biotechnology we need better stories about future technological, social and economic developments. In this 21th century, ¨societal¨science fiction might be an important genre, if not the most important, to interprete the consequences of accelarating technological developments.
This blog post is about how to obstruct problem solving by ineffective thinking. In these times of positive thinking, readers are attracted by slogans as How to Make the Impossible Possible. In spite of that, we see many times teams that struggle with attaining their goals. But they do work hard! Lots of energy is …
In our Thinkibility nibble What Is An Interesting Book? we suggested that books with intellectual value should be categorized by the publisher into categories: Mainstream Improvement Criticism Provocation and Alternatives We propose a strong candidate for category 4: Provocation and Alternatives: The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness Subversive Dispels a …
Focus defines the input of information that defines the thinking, and by that, the conclusions, solutions or opinions derived from it. In a schedule: information (A) is semi-processed in a funnel (A,B,C) of biases, assumptions and conditions to a logical solution, opinion or conclusion (C). Area A is the focus area, the area where the …
Continue reading "Focus and Group Dynamics Define the Thinking"
In our blog post Daily Thinking – Discovering Patterns we showed some alarming daily thinking habits, like assuming that there is a linear, unambiguously relation between a cause and an effect. For example, it is assumed that increasing e-commerce will reduce traffic. People will less go to shopping malls. However, delivering goods, ordered one by one with take-back guarantee will increase …
Continue reading "E-commerce and Daily Thinking – A Thinkibility Nibble"
In this Thinkibility Boost we will explore the relation between thinking and framing. In visual arts and particularly cinematography, framing is the presentation of the visual element in an image, especially the placement of the subject in relation to other objects. Framing can make an image more aesthetically pleasing and keep the viewer's focus on …
What could we learn from solved cold cases? What has caused that the case is solved after years of investigations without results? What were the reasons that a solution was waiting for discovery, but never did? Solved cold cases are illustrative for how we think wrongly. In September 1961, 25-year-old Lucy Johnson, mother of one, …
There are several ways to design a new concept deliberately. But what is a new concept? Not many people have a quick answer to this question, other than "differently than expected", "something else as normal", "not seen before" or just "interesting". One of the easiest ways to design a new concept is to escape from …
Key Performance Indicators are meant to keep an organisation on track. By measuring the performance over time, you are able to look at deviations and to take measures. As Wikipedia defines it: A key performance indicator (KPI) is a type of performance measurement. An organization may use KPIs to evaluate its success, or to evaluate the …
Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables you to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. The goal for all data collection is to capture quality evidence that then translates to rich data analysis and allows the building of a convincing and credible …
Some time ago Robert Sheldrake suggested ten dogmas of modern science. In a TEDx presentation he argued that science, by using a rigorous method, has become a belief system that has become the default in the scientific community and this system is based on reductionism and mechanical philosophy. This idea caused an uproar in the scientific …
In a Reversal, the usual supposed cause-effect relation between objects or subjects are turned upside down. For example, it is supposed that the establishment of a permanent observation post increases the safety of recreational sailing. A Reversal could set up that the establishment of a permanent observational post rightly effective decreases the safety of sailors. The …
Continue reading "World’s Most Interesting Reversals (1) – Thinkibility Boost"
Many hands make light work? Some examples of proverbs -something that is said as to be an expression of Truth are: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing A little learning is a dangerous thing A penny saved is a penny earned A picture paints a thousand words A bad beginning makes a bad ending …
Continue reading "Sayings and Proverbs as Thinking Patterns – Thinkibility Nibble"
Design has been used throughout history to control our behavior. Hausmann designed the broad avenues in Paris with the aim to better control riots and revolutionary uproars. There are designs that prevent you from lying on a bench, so called anti homeless benches. Citizens have built low viaducts to prevent buses going into the town to …
What if: you are stuck in a narrow track, needing to find a job to pay off $27,000 in study debt and there are no jobs at all? colleges doesn't provide good education to succeed in a job? sacred institutions like university ceases to exist? you are allowed to join the real world before getting …
