I am new to blogging and asked a friend of mine for feedback about what I’ve written to date. He laughed and commented that my writing made it sound as though IS0 (International Organization for Standardization) was my nemesis.
I was glad he voiced that observation because it gave me an opportunity to elaborate on why I did not see ISO as a nemesis, but I could see how a reader with an EITHER/OR PERSPECTIVE could easily form that opinion.
Am I against process, systems and efficiency if I am challenging them for the obstacles they may present to sustained creativity, discovery and innovation after I declare myself an advocate for creativity, discovery and innovation? In the black and white world of EITHER/OR THINKING that would be a logical observation.
Is EITHER/OR THINKING our default way of quickly processing and evaluating information?
What if we give ourselves another option for using BOTH/AND THINKING instead?
Can we get curious about what we need to do to have process and systems that are BOTH a measure of standards AND organically evolving? Where is the tipping point for having BOTH efficiency AND innovation? It goes without saying that this is not easy. It requires intellectual rigor, collaboration, risk, etc.
The “how to “ balance process with creativity is frankly well beyond the scope of a single blog post. But the conversation did give me a chance to ask….
Are you willing to use BOTH/AND THINKING in your day today? Go further than an open mind.
Actively use your curiosity.
Will you recognize the opportunity? Or, will you be on autopilot?
