Comedian Ron White once made a philosophical observation so profound that it became the name of one of his specials and a signature line: “You can’t fix stupid.”
Basically true and wise, but I understand the history a little differently. There was a serious effort to engage the corporate sector in critical thinking beginning sometime in the '60s. It was centered around MIT and the work of scholar-practitioners like Donald Schon and Chris Argyris, and later on Peter Senge. It even had (or at least the lack of it had) popular expression in books like David Halberstam's The Reckoning. I think the MIT folks had some positive impact on managers that was then swallowed up in the "our only responsibility is to the shareholders" thinking that grew out the Reagan era.
Whatever the history, the question remains: How do you get people to do "the work?" All of this is rooted in self-awareness. And as you point out, society trains many people out of that to make them compliant. How long has it been since you saw one of the old "Question Authority" bumper stickers? Maybe they will begin showing up again in Minnesota?
The red teaming framework cuts through alot of self-deception. Mapping beliefs to downstream costs is where the work happens - if X is true, what do I keep doing? If X is false, what becomes possible? That gap reveals the real stakes. Most ppl bail on the intrinsic work tho. Examining identity-protecting beliefs is way less fun than dunking on the other side's stupidity.
Bravo!!! This observation and advice are desperately needed. Thanks for providing it.
Basically true and wise, but I understand the history a little differently. There was a serious effort to engage the corporate sector in critical thinking beginning sometime in the '60s. It was centered around MIT and the work of scholar-practitioners like Donald Schon and Chris Argyris, and later on Peter Senge. It even had (or at least the lack of it had) popular expression in books like David Halberstam's The Reckoning. I think the MIT folks had some positive impact on managers that was then swallowed up in the "our only responsibility is to the shareholders" thinking that grew out the Reagan era.
Whatever the history, the question remains: How do you get people to do "the work?" All of this is rooted in self-awareness. And as you point out, society trains many people out of that to make them compliant. How long has it been since you saw one of the old "Question Authority" bumper stickers? Maybe they will begin showing up again in Minnesota?
The red teaming framework cuts through alot of self-deception. Mapping beliefs to downstream costs is where the work happens - if X is true, what do I keep doing? If X is false, what becomes possible? That gap reveals the real stakes. Most ppl bail on the intrinsic work tho. Examining identity-protecting beliefs is way less fun than dunking on the other side's stupidity.