Organizations everywhere (at least those not lucky enough to be born a Google or an Apple) have been struggling for years to find ways to instill an ethic of innovative thinking into their workforce. In far too many instances, the emphasis has been on improving the effectiveness of their brainstorming activities. Research has shown, however, that the most effective “phase” of the thinking process may lie at the very beginning – in what is called the “framing” stage.
Author John Naisbitt takes it even one step further, and teaches a new method of approaching the framing stage by adopting new mindsets. Think of mindsets as the foundation of the box. In many cases, the foundation is a foot thick and made of solid concrete. The worst part is, if you look down, you’ll find that your feet are embedded in the concrete (no wonder you can’t get out). The answer is to crack up the foundation, so the walls fall down by themselves.
The central part of Naisbitt’s approach lies in his proposition that the thinking process shouldn’t be limited to just one mindset. Instead, he has developed eleven different ways of looking at the world. This should be a breath of fresh air for organizations that have adopted a one-size-fits-all approach to their thinking, and have failed. The idea is to free your thinking, and just let your mind flow.
