Collective Thinking

Whenever I’ve attended training programmes that make the audience aware of various thinking styles, behavioural differences etc I’ve often found people wonder and question what the whole thing leads to. Because changing thinking styles, attitudes etc is not as easy as attending training programmes on the topic. I’ve rarely found trainers who can articulate exactly what the benefits are. I myself have never been able to go beyond pointing out that knowing such things can help one understand others better. An article I read recently brings it out brilliantly in the context of collective thinking leading to innovation.

“The single most valuable contribution that understanding different thinking and communication styles brings to the process of innovation is taking the sting out of intellectual disagreements that turn personal”. – Putting your company’s whole brain to work – HBR. Authors – Dorothy Leonard and Susaan Straus.