It is not about avoiding thinking and just wait for someone to present the solution. But this is often the case when you look at employees and managers participating in a briefing where an (cost-effective) consultant presents the solution. The same scenario can also be observed when the manager presents his plan to the employees.
It is perfectly simple, normal and expected! The employees expectation are that the consultant/manager only needs to present the plan, the process, the many steps to be followed, the schedule, the timetable – and everyone will understand. There maybe some questions from eager employees trying to understand the unspoken details but only to be able to imitate the plan to the point.
We are raised to be imitators
This pattern of behavior can also be observed in the lower schools, high school, college and most other public or private educational institutions. We are raised to be imitators. We are raised not to think for ourselves. We are used to have the solution presented and then imitate it.
The problem is that we are way past the historic, global and technology line where we can run this world by imitating a few people. That is why you can also see more and more organizations focusing on solving the many challenges – together.
Another problem about imitating somebody elses plan or model is that the presentation only represents one person’s views, one person’s experiences and one person’s positions.
Personal positions matter
When you imitate another persons solution – you do it without knowing the background (positions) of the solution. And you are unable to evaluate or understand the presented deeper .
But why is this important? It is, because if you and your colleagues were given the job to find a solution together – maybe you would find an original solution based on your unified experience and in accordance with the relevant context. E.g. if it seemed advantageous – you would produce a model, or you would take an existing business model and reshape it to fit the context and the involved people. Amazing, huh? Believe you can – and do it – together.
Out of context
Further, a solution produced by a single individual or a few individuals, and out of context – it may be looked as to fit all situations… But this picture is nurtured by our experience from the many schools we have attended and the basic positivistic perspective: Universal solutions exist. And they do! But not if you want the best solution. And in many cases – if you want a solution…
We can only make (good) sense together
To many people’s surprise – we have moved from the industrial age long ago. What ever you call our age today, and it has been given many labels, one thing is for sure (as I see it – you remember – just one position), and that is: We can only make sense together. And this understanding also works if you are a company or a government institution. You may have discovered that many tasks can only be solved involving lots of coordinating and cooperation vertically and horizontally in the organization. And you may have both experienced and read in corporate and business magazines that the world is getting more complex. And that people in general are getting more and more wired up. Even the new president of the United States of America talks about “yes we can (together)” – stretching his hands towards the biggest countries and inviting to work together to solve global issues. And then Greece goes (almost) bankrupt and it affects everybody! Man, we are just so connected…and dependent on each other.
Working together – a mega trend?
This is why I have asked the question whether working together and coordinating could be a mega trend (see earlier posts), and this is why Collaborative Man® is one but many (to come) solutions to how humans together can meet the future – and together solve the present and future challenges.
With Collaborative Man® you do not need a prefabricated system or process – you invent it realtime if needed – to solve the problem or find a solution to the challenge. And you do it collaboratively in the relevant context at the right time with the right people.
Collaborative Man® is a social technology comprising four personal positions/views, an understanding of a new modern learning praxis and an understanding of collaborative work (not cooperative work).
Related articles
- The Power of Not Solving Problems (inc.com)
- Workplace Trends Report: 12 Key Issues and Solutions for Business Leaders (multivu.com)
- How Building Trust Creates Partnerships & Innovation: The 2013 GE Innovation Barometer (andrewarmour.com)
- Don’t solve your problems! (spiegeltjes.wordpress.com)
Collaborativeman 
Posted on January 30, 2013
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