I've had some reservations about social media - even though I have a Facebook Account that I visit perhaps once a week and a Twitter account that I have posted to twice.
But this seems to say it all.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Whole Brain Thinking by Edison
Idea Connection has an interesting quote from a conversation with Sarah Miller Caldicott, author of "Innovate Like Edison: The Five-Step System for Breakthrough Business Success."
Sarah Miller Caldicott may be the great grandniece of Thomas Edison, but she relied on more than simply family anecdotes to write her book, Innovate Like Edison. She delved into all things Edison with Dr. Paul Israel, the director of the Edison Papers at Rutgers University, who presides over an archive 5 million pages deep.
When asked what tools Edison used, here is her reply:
"What intrigued me when I started studying Edison was, what techniques is he using to come up all these robust ideas? He's manufacturing stuff and marketing stuff, but he still keeps asking questions. How does he keep figuring out the questions to ask? How does he know what to look at next, to see into the future and see what's possible?
The answer is, he used whole-brain thinking techniques. It wasn't even a concept back then. But he did realize there were different parts of the thinking process – there was a data-oriented part and another part that was about the big picture, patterns, concepts and linkages. So he used tactics to bring those two ways of thinking together.
For example, he worked with analogies. He'd compare disparate things that were like each other, to make connections. He might think, "OK, I'm learning about electricity, and I don't know much about that. But I know a lot about telegraphy. So how is electricity like telegraphy?"
Whole brain thinking, of course, IS a concept right now. You can learn more.
Sarah Miller Caldicott may be the great grandniece of Thomas Edison, but she relied on more than simply family anecdotes to write her book, Innovate Like Edison. She delved into all things Edison with Dr. Paul Israel, the director of the Edison Papers at Rutgers University, who presides over an archive 5 million pages deep.
When asked what tools Edison used, here is her reply:
"What intrigued me when I started studying Edison was, what techniques is he using to come up all these robust ideas? He's manufacturing stuff and marketing stuff, but he still keeps asking questions. How does he keep figuring out the questions to ask? How does he know what to look at next, to see into the future and see what's possible?
The answer is, he used whole-brain thinking techniques. It wasn't even a concept back then. But he did realize there were different parts of the thinking process – there was a data-oriented part and another part that was about the big picture, patterns, concepts and linkages. So he used tactics to bring those two ways of thinking together.
For example, he worked with analogies. He'd compare disparate things that were like each other, to make connections. He might think, "OK, I'm learning about electricity, and I don't know much about that. But I know a lot about telegraphy. So how is electricity like telegraphy?"
Whole brain thinking, of course, IS a concept right now. You can learn more.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Key Words Count
Licenced from Wordle.net
What you are seeing here is the result of an amazing program that produces Word Clouds, compilations of words from documents. It automatically searches for repeated words and assesses their importance, - and then creates a graphic image combining them. This one was created from some routine desciption of the HBDI and is uncannily accurate in bringing the main words to the fore. You can enlarge it and look closer by clicking on it.
I heard about the site from a colleague who sent me a forty page report I wrote on leadership models condensed into a few words. It will form a resource when we discuss it and his own Word Cloud next week. It will be interesting to see how it contributes to the discussion.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
A tool for the kit
Robert Schiller writes in the New York Times today about the pyschology of economists
"Why do professional economists always seem to find that concerns with bubbles are overblown or unsubstantiated? I have wondered about this for years, and still do not quite have an answer. It must have something to do with the tool kit given to economists (as opposed to psychologists) and perhaps even with the self-selection of those attracted to the technical, mathematical field of economics. Economists aren’t generally trained in psychology, and so want to divert the subject of discussion to things they understand well. They pride themselves on being rational. The notion that people are making huge errors in judgment is not appealing."
If Schiller knew more about the HBDI, he would realize that it would provide a reminder that not all people think like economists, - in other words, not all of us operate primarily from a rational perspective. Training and experience cause economists to prefer rational thinking - and hanging out primarily with those in their own profession, causes them to reinforce their thinking.
So the big lesson from this is to keep connected with people in diverse fields. And the small lesson might be to use a tool like the Herrmann walk-around on my website to ensure that you are looking at a bigger picture.
"Why do professional economists always seem to find that concerns with bubbles are overblown or unsubstantiated? I have wondered about this for years, and still do not quite have an answer. It must have something to do with the tool kit given to economists (as opposed to psychologists) and perhaps even with the self-selection of those attracted to the technical, mathematical field of economics. Economists aren’t generally trained in psychology, and so want to divert the subject of discussion to things they understand well. They pride themselves on being rational. The notion that people are making huge errors in judgment is not appealing."
If Schiller knew more about the HBDI, he would realize that it would provide a reminder that not all people think like economists, - in other words, not all of us operate primarily from a rational perspective. Training and experience cause economists to prefer rational thinking - and hanging out primarily with those in their own profession, causes them to reinforce their thinking.
So the big lesson from this is to keep connected with people in diverse fields. And the small lesson might be to use a tool like the Herrmann walk-around on my website to ensure that you are looking at a bigger picture.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Help in Tough Times
Here's what one of our Australian colleagues said about the use of the HBDI
To survive the current financial environment businesses need to adopt Whole Brain ThinkingTM now more than ever.
According to Michael Morgan, CEO of Herrmann International Asia: "It's about maintaining a Whole BrainTM approach to business management to ensure we don't throw the baby out with the bath water. The actions we take now will determine how fit we are for the future. For example, history has shown that companies who retain staff during tougher financial times will be a step ahead of other companies when the economy rebounds."
The typical response to this type of economic crisis is greater government regulation and increased business conservatism. The danger in an over-regulated and conservative market is that it is too easy to miss the next wave of business opportunities.
Organisations need to maintain a balanced focus, and the Whole Brain Model provides a way of doing that both now and for the future.
In this day of doom and gloom and talk of recession and depression, it is imperative to maintain strict financial awareness and to adopt a more intraspective business focus, however, this must be balanced inside a longer-term business strategy for growth.
To survive the current financial environment businesses need to adopt Whole Brain ThinkingTM now more than ever.
According to Michael Morgan, CEO of Herrmann International Asia: "It's about maintaining a Whole BrainTM approach to business management to ensure we don't throw the baby out with the bath water. The actions we take now will determine how fit we are for the future. For example, history has shown that companies who retain staff during tougher financial times will be a step ahead of other companies when the economy rebounds."
The typical response to this type of economic crisis is greater government regulation and increased business conservatism. The danger in an over-regulated and conservative market is that it is too easy to miss the next wave of business opportunities.
Organisations need to maintain a balanced focus, and the Whole Brain Model provides a way of doing that both now and for the future.
In this day of doom and gloom and talk of recession and depression, it is imperative to maintain strict financial awareness and to adopt a more intraspective business focus, however, this must be balanced inside a longer-term business strategy for growth.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Customer Responses - Part 4
Once a map exists, many users find VisiMap a useful way to move forward. “Onsite minute taking” and “planning agendas” get frequent mentions. “Sharing first drafts with users allow for virtual brainstorms”, commented a user. “Seeing the range of complexity reduces tension”, said another. Other users note visual maps’ ability to “establish and maintain an overview”, essential when multiple concerns and details tend to cloud the big picture. Maps are a useful way to maintain status reports. “Recording phone calls” is another way to keep the record straight.
Organizing one's work and one's life sparked many responses. "I use it for
job analysis and see the relationship of tasks", says Kathryn McKee, the
co-author of Leading People Through Disasters, who first learned about the
software when working for Standard Chartered Bank as a Human Resources
executive. She should know because she experienced and had to deal with six
disasters in seven years.
Glen Hammond, a Manitoba based college instructor uses VisiMap to summarize ideas for a fast review before teaching. Another user creates a mini portal for access to other documents on his company network and the web. The ability to create “hyperlinks to frequently used sources” is one of VisiMap’s strengths. A daily task list developed by another user indicates both the number of tasks and their relationships. Such use allows one to streamline work in chunks and groupings, a decidedly more effective use of time. One used VisiMap “for setting up and planning a new business”. Dafydd Lewis has used it to document the McKinsey Seven S framework.
Organizing one's work and one's life sparked many responses. "I use it for
job analysis and see the relationship of tasks", says Kathryn McKee, the
co-author of Leading People Through Disasters, who first learned about the
software when working for Standard Chartered Bank as a Human Resources
executive. She should know because she experienced and had to deal with six
disasters in seven years.
Glen Hammond, a Manitoba based college instructor uses VisiMap to summarize ideas for a fast review before teaching. Another user creates a mini portal for access to other documents on his company network and the web. The ability to create “hyperlinks to frequently used sources” is one of VisiMap’s strengths. A daily task list developed by another user indicates both the number of tasks and their relationships. Such use allows one to streamline work in chunks and groupings, a decidedly more effective use of time. One used VisiMap “for setting up and planning a new business”. Dafydd Lewis has used it to document the McKinsey Seven S framework.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Customer Responses - Part 3
Users identified work related benefits that show consistent patterns.
Article writers like Jim Rait like to list the main points and expand on them. When the article exceeds its limit, it is also easier to contract the copy to respond to the original main points. Other writers of books and doctoral theses like to “ map the big ideas and then hang random thoughts on appropriate branches”. At that point it is possible to switch to outline mode and flesh out the ideas with ease. One writer drafted an entire novel this way.
VisiMap also offers advantages for less literary writing, such as proposals.
“I can check that the proposal contains the essential information and that it focuses on and directly responds to client needs”, a respondent observes. There is an excellent chance he got the job. Roy Strodl, a skills development consultant, has written a number of articles and contributed to various planning textbooks, all of which were outlined and then the first draft was written using VisiMap. He says, “I love the ability of being able to move the structure of the document around, which is very hard to do once the document is in Word”. Neil Botten, managing consultant at NAB Associates, and principal lecturer in strategic management at Westminster Business School says “VisiMap has been invaluable in mapping out a number of books and other publications prior to writing fairly large commissions for my publishers.”
Speech writing is a related use. “It’s easy to build a structure and change it easily,” one user said. A parish priest has to preach on assigned readings; he looks carefully for common themes, identifies three key ones and expands upon them. One senses that his listeners will hear something coherent that they can take away. “As an occasional speaker at public conferences, I have found VisiMap invaluable in ordering and organizing the content of a piece,” said Ray Currie, of Towerhouse Training Limited. “Not only does it summarize and link the content that I have identified to date, but it also prompts memory and imagination.” His contention is borne out by recent brain research.
When the map is completed it also provides an interface for a speech or address, - a better tool than a text for a speaker who knows his content and can make eye contact with his audience rather than bury his face in a printed sheet. One user summarizes it well by noting VisiMap’s ability to “shape communication”.
Article writers like Jim Rait like to list the main points and expand on them. When the article exceeds its limit, it is also easier to contract the copy to respond to the original main points. Other writers of books and doctoral theses like to “ map the big ideas and then hang random thoughts on appropriate branches”. At that point it is possible to switch to outline mode and flesh out the ideas with ease. One writer drafted an entire novel this way.
VisiMap also offers advantages for less literary writing, such as proposals.
“I can check that the proposal contains the essential information and that it focuses on and directly responds to client needs”, a respondent observes. There is an excellent chance he got the job. Roy Strodl, a skills development consultant, has written a number of articles and contributed to various planning textbooks, all of which were outlined and then the first draft was written using VisiMap. He says, “I love the ability of being able to move the structure of the document around, which is very hard to do once the document is in Word”. Neil Botten, managing consultant at NAB Associates, and principal lecturer in strategic management at Westminster Business School says “VisiMap has been invaluable in mapping out a number of books and other publications prior to writing fairly large commissions for my publishers.”
Speech writing is a related use. “It’s easy to build a structure and change it easily,” one user said. A parish priest has to preach on assigned readings; he looks carefully for common themes, identifies three key ones and expands upon them. One senses that his listeners will hear something coherent that they can take away. “As an occasional speaker at public conferences, I have found VisiMap invaluable in ordering and organizing the content of a piece,” said Ray Currie, of Towerhouse Training Limited. “Not only does it summarize and link the content that I have identified to date, but it also prompts memory and imagination.” His contention is borne out by recent brain research.
When the map is completed it also provides an interface for a speech or address, - a better tool than a text for a speaker who knows his content and can make eye contact with his audience rather than bury his face in a printed sheet. One user summarizes it well by noting VisiMap’s ability to “shape communication”.
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