The Role of Paradigms and Beliefs in the Business

Environment

presentation copyright 1997, 1998 by Barry and Deborah Brownstein

Prologue

• How many companies contained in the Dow Jones Index of 1900 are still doing business?

• One- General Electric

• What percent of Fortune 500 companies in 1983 have passed on?

• 40 percent

What Is a Paradigm? "...the basic way of perceiving, thinking and

valuing...associated with a particular vision of reality. A dominant paradigm is seldom if ever stated explicitly; it exists as an unquestioned understanding"- Willis Harmon, Stanford Research Institute

Examples of Paradigm Blindness Sony's 12 inch compact laser disk Kodak's rejection of xerography Chernobyl nuclear engineers iceberg haulers and icemakers "There is no reason anyone would want a computer

in their home"- CEO Digital Equipment 1977 "The concept is interesting, but in order to earn

better than a 'C' the idea must be feasible- Fred Smith's professor

Examples of Paradigm Blindness (Cont.)

“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” - H.M. Warner 1927

"Everything that can be invented has been invented"- Charles Duell, U.S. Office of Patents 1890

"640K ought to be enough for anyone"- Bill Gates, 1981

Dee Hock (Founder of Visa) "The problem is never how to get new, innovative

thoughts into your mind, but how to get the old ones out. Every mind is a room packed with archaic furniture. You must get the old furniture of what you know, think, and believe out before anything new can get it. Make an empty space in any corner of your mind, and creativity will instantly fill it."

Albert Einstein "The world we have made, as a result of the level of

thinking we have done so far, creates problems we cannot solve at the same level at which we created them."

Thoughts

Feelings

Behavior

Reactions

Beliefs, Values

3 Steps To "Insight" humbleness (my vision and knowledge is limited) awareness of beliefs and thoughts valuing more than your current paradigm