Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

  • Upload
    mokiti

  • View
    223

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 8/12/2019 Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

    1/7

    Academy of Management Best Conference Paper 2004 MED: C1

    DEVELOPING INTUITION: BECOMING SMARTER BY THINKING LESS

    EUGENE SADLER-SMITH

    School of ManagementUniversity of Surrey,

    Guildford, Surrey, UK, GU2 7XH

    ERELLA SHEFY

    Humanager Consultants, Hod Hasharon, Israel

    INTRODUCTION

    The archetypal rational manager relies upon hard facts and figures drawn from the past

    upon which to conduct logical analyses and from which to make predictions and plans about the

    future. When the problems faced are simple and routine the necessary facts and figures are oftenreadily available and can be drawn upon, interpreted and used in a rational manner. However,

    the solutions for many problems may be beyond knowledge that is explicit or immediately to

    hand. In this situation managers can acquire more facts and data to fuel their rational thinkingprocesses; but this has a number of potential difficulties: firstly, the external knowledge may notbe available; secondly, by accumulating more knowledge managers may inadvertently subject

    themselves to information overload and be afflicted by analysis paralysis; thirdly, by the time

    the extra knowledge needed to solve the problem is available the problem itself may havechanged, disappeared or been solved by competitors.

    An alternative to the relentless pursuit of rationality is to be open to, seek out and apply

    alternative ways of thinking by drawing upon the more tacit and intuitive forms of knowing,going beyond available data, recognizing that feelings and emotions are an important form of

    data and making what appear to be smart guesses but which may in fact be very finely tuned

    tacit or intuitive judgments (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002; Hogarth, 2001; Klein, 2003).

    Accepting feelings-as-data and hunch or intuition as valid forms of knowing is not to deny thevalue of rationality or place it and intuition in opposition to each other: both intuition and

    rationality have limits and each can sometimes lead to bad decisions (Burke & Miller, 1999).

    Intuition and rationality are at the heart of an important dynamic in managerial cognition inwhich both modes have the potential to balance or reinforce each other.

    The assumption of this paper is that decision making and problem solving may be more

    effective if managers are prepared to allow space for rationality and intuition to co-exist. Theargument of this paper is that the development of intuitive awareness is an important but

    neglected area of management education and development (Taggart & Valenzi, 1990) and those

    managers who possess an understanding and appreciation of intuition may be better-equipped tocope with complex, dynamic and uncertain environments. The aim of this paper is to report the

    implementation and validation of a program that aimed to develop managers intuitiveawareness.

    BACKGROUND

    Paradoxically, one way of understanding intuition is to examine what appear to be

    closely-related but distinct concepts - in effect examining what it is not. Unfortunately,

    obfuscation often results from: (1) the interchangeable use of the terms instinct, insight and

  • 8/12/2019 Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

    2/7

    Academy of Management Best Conference Paper 2004 MED: C2

    intuition (mixing up the three Is); (2) intuition being presented as synonymous with the

    incubation stage of the creative process; (3) equating intuition with creativity-enhancingtechniques such as lateral thinking.

    Intuition is not instinct: instincts are reflexive actions and instinctive behaviors that are

    pre-programmed into organisms to ensure survival and reproduction. For humans instinctive

    patterns of behavior are advantageous in a world that is simple and unchanging; however indynamic environments such behaviors may be inadequate or even redundant.

    Intuition is not insight: a subtle and important difference between insight and intuition

    stems from the fact that when a problem is solved through the cognitive process of insight thelogical relationships between the parts of a problem become clear and may be explained

    symbolically through words or other images (such as in the classic insight problem of the

    prisoner in the tower). The insight solution may occur after a period of conscious or unconsciousreflection or incubation. Recent neuro-scientific research has begun to identify the brain regions

    implicated in so-called eureka moments (Beeman-Jung et al, 2004).

    Intuition is not lateral thinking: this concept was developed and popularized in the 1970s

    a technique for escaping from conventional ways of solving problems. Lateral thinking disrupts

    rigid thought patterns by introducing discontinuities, for example by means of exercises such asthe random walk in which a stimulus that is unrelated to the problem is used as a means for the

    disruption of extant schemas and subsequent cognitive restructuring and divergent thinkingpatterns.

    Intuition is not the opposite of rationality: rationality and intuition are often depicted as

    opposites, however they may be interdependent to the extent that they could be combined into athird, more hybrid powerful style that incorporates the best of both (Pondy, 1983: 170):

    Empirical evidence for the view that these two kinds of processing are not opposites was

    provided by Epstein (1994) who identified two orthogonal factors (need for cognition andfaith in intuition) that contribute jointly to behavior.

    INTUITION DEFINED

    A consideration of what intuition is not leaves a clearer picture of what it is: intuition is

    an implicit process which leads to feelings about a course of action or behavior the reasons forwhich are not easily verbalized and: (1) whose speed of operation is slower than instinct but

    faster than insight; (2) is likely to be derived from patterns in long term memory, implicit

    learning, emotionally significant events or universal archetypes; (3) may combine withrationality as a means for testing hypotheses; (4) is holistic, reactive and automatic; (5) is

    probably older, in evolutionary terms, than the rational system.

    INTUITION IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

    Recently Kets de Vries expressed the view that Unfortunately, the right side of the brain the part responsible for more intuitive processes is not stimulated in the business school

    (Couto, 2004: 66). But given the academic and popular interest in intuition, along with itspotential significance for many aspects of organizational life, this lack of attention is perhaps

    surprising. To this end we propose the term intuitive attunement to describe a process that maybe used within educational and in-company programs for the planned development of intuitive

    awareness. Our model for intuitive attunement consisted of three elements: (1)predispositions:

    these are the values, motivations and self-beliefs that underpin the qualities that we seek to

  • 8/12/2019 Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

    3/7

    Academy of Management Best Conference Paper 2004 MED: C3

    develop; (2) qualities: these are the attitudes and behaviors that are part of an intuitive awareness

    (for example, bodily awareness, imagination, perception, relaxation, self-worth and spontaneity);(3) keys: these are some of the techniques that we developed and used to develop the qualities

    that enable managers to become more attuned to their intuition.

    DEVELOPING INTUITION

    Our main aim for the program was to allow participants to experience and practice a

    selection of keys for intuitive attunement in the context of a traditional institutional environmentand a formal and conservative management education curriculum. By intuitive attunement we

    are referring to developing an awareness of ones own intuitions through the use of specifictechniques in a sense tuning in to the thought processes of the intuitive mind that otherwise

    may be drowned out by the activity of the rational mind A subsidiary aim was to develop

    participants understanding of the features of intuition, differences between intuition, instinct,

    lateral thinking, insight and rationality, and the role of intuition in management decision makingand creativity. The keys are the core of the program and comprised: (1) go with your gut

    (spontaneity): a spontaneity exercise applied to trivial tasks; (2) stilling the mind (relaxation): a

    meditation exercise (3) listen to your body (bodily awareness): a focusing exercise; (4) relaxation(relaxation): a lying or sitting relaxation exercise; (5) inner journey (imagination): a guided

    imagery exercise; (6) sleeping on it (relaxation): an incubation exercise; (7) looking meditation

    (relaxation): a meditation exercise; (8) walking meditation (relaxation): a meditation exercise;(9) mindfulness (perception): an exercise in awareness; (10) befriend yourself (self worth): a

    loving kindness exercise; (11) morning pages (spontaneity): an exercise in spontaneous writing;

    (12) intuition journal: a technique for recording intuitions

    The final version (after pilot-testing in a number of educational and in-companyprograms) of the program was implemented as part of Masters level module on innovation and

    creativity at a university business school. Participants were aged between 28 and 52 and

    comprised 18 males and 14 females in two cohorts (two groups of N= 16). All participants hada first degree and at least two years managerial experience in a variety of organizations

    (including manufacturing, service, public administration and health care) and occupied senior

    management positions.The program consisted of two elements that will be referred to as Attunement Training

    (in-class) and Attunement Practice (out-of-class). The in-class activity was explained to

    participants as being analogous to the training room or gym; the out-of-class activity wasanalogous to the real game. (1)Attunement Training: The workshop was six-hour class

    consisting of traditional lecture with discussion and an experiential session to practice the

    various keys. (2) Attunement Practice: We aimed to facilitate the development of intuitive

    awareness through extended practice and reflection. The Attunement Practice consisted of atwo-month period in which participants used the keys of their choice under their own direction

    (but with coaching available) out-of-class. In addition to practicing the use of the keys,participants were asked to do two other things: firstly, to keep a Reflective Journal in which theyrated the usefulness of the keys; secondly, to compose a Personal Statement on their use of the

    keys discussing the overall impact (the identities of the participants were not known to the

    researchers): (a)Reflective Journal: the aim was to gauge usefulness ratings for each of the keysand elicit participants views on them. This was an attempt to assess the internal validity of the

    keys and was concerned with the extent to which the keys were effective in themselves; (b)

    Personal Statement: the aim was to identify the impact that the participants felt that the whole

  • 8/12/2019 Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

    4/7

    Academy of Management Best Conference Paper 2004 MED: C4

    program (workshop and practice) had upon them. This was an attempt to assess the external

    validity of the keys and is concerned with the questions of whether or not the keys effected anyself-reported changes beyond the program in participants workplace behaviors.

    RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

    The first-named author analyzed the participants Personal Statements thematically (in

    terms of words, groups of words or whole phrases) through a series of readings and re-readings

    of the texts in order to identify broad content areas that emerged (see: Allard-Poesi, Drucker-Goddard & Ehlinger, 2001: 360). A number of preliminary themes were identified; these were

    then validated and modified by further readings in order to isolate and refine the themes and onthe basis of these re-readings participants responses were assigned to particular themes. Rather

    than define the themes a prioriwe choose, because the research is exploratory, to allow the

    themes to emerge from our reading of the texts. This ex postanalysis revealed six themes. As a

    check on the validity of the analysis another researcher reviewed the themes, categorization andthe assignation of responses; appropriate minor modifications were made. The themes are

    reported below in a sequence that explicates their inter-relationships.(1) Context: the organizational context had a significant impact upon the participants

    predispositions towards, or readiness for, intuition. It sometimes appeared to engender feelings

    of anxiety and lack of safety to the extent that this influenced participants in a number of ways:

    (a) by repressing the role of feelings in decision making; (b) by the use of rationality as a meansof legitimizing actions.

    (2) Confidence: the effect of organizational context may also have influenced individuals

    levels of confidence in a number of aspects of their behavior. The keys were seen as having a

    positive effect on participants levels of confidence, especially with respect to creativity anddecision making. Issues related to individuals levels of confidence appeared to be bound-up

    with contextual issues in work environments where norms and expectations associated with

    administratively-driven cultures may have the effect of repressing divergent thinking processes.An emergent theme in the texts was the view that intuition and creativity are innate and may

    flourish if impediments in the workplace can be lifted or overcome. The keys were perceived by

    a number of participants as ways in which repressive or overly rational norms may be dealt with.This was most often allied to the theme of confidence in ones innate ability to be intuitive and

    creative, hence the keys were seen as a means of enhancing levels of self-confidence.

    (3) Concentration: As senior members of their organizations as well as being postgraduate students, participants in general expressed the view that there were excessive and

    competing demands upon their time and personal resources. A number reported difficulty in this

    regard, for example that during the evenings I found it difficult to put the [main] issue [of the

    day] out of my mind. A theme that emerged from the texts was the issue of the ability to focusand concentrate. Participants were of the view that the keys played a role in enabling them to

    identify, prioritize and focus upon specific issues.(4) Awareness: this emerged in two ways: awareness of self (with the related issue of

    confidence) and awareness of others (for example through the process of attuned awareness to

    the context of a meeting). An additional aspect which emerges from the identified theme is that

    of perspective; the texts alluded to the significance of three different standpoints: (a) seeinginside oneself (the roots of the term intuition may be traced back to the Latin intuerimeaning to

    contemplate or look within); (b) seeing things from others point of view; (c) taking in a broader

    more holistic view (one participant referred to it as being spatially aware).

  • 8/12/2019 Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

    5/7

    Academy of Management Best Conference Paper 2004 MED: C5

    (5) Serenity: a further theme to emerge was related to the dynamic between the rational

    and the intuitive minds. Participants were able to relate to direct experiences of the sometimesfrenetic pace of mental activity. These also appeared to inter-relate to the themes of confidence

    and concentration. Participants texts allude to self-awareness in the specific area of mental

    activity (referred to as madness and racing rabble of thoughts) and of the quality of serenity

    and how this in turn may be connected to levels of confidence, concentration, creativity andspirituality. These issues were cogently summarized by one participant who wrote that: I will

    think less to become smarter.(6) Imagery: Non-verbal modes of thinking emerged from the texts in a series of short

    pithy observations. The texts suggest that some participants were aware of the role of visual

    imagery in their intuitive thinking processes.

    CONCLUSIONS

    Analysis of the texts revealed the issues of confidence, concentration, awareness andserenity; these are the more tangible and observable outcome behaviors that are underpinned by

    the qualities (bodily awareness, imagination, perception, relaxation, self worth and spontaneity).

    The additional factor not explicitly identified in the original model was the role of context. Thequalities we focused on in the model and the outcomes which emerged from the analysis are

    mostly inner qualities of the manager, but clearly the outer environment is as important in either

    promoting or constraining the development of the qualities; similarly the outer environment mayitself provide a stimulus for individuals to become more intuitively aware (perhaps as a reaction

    to the pace and stress of particular types of environments). Indeed, one of the participants noted

    that The real challenge would be to internalize the techniques and use them frequently and

    naturally [at work]. An additional feature of the environment is the extent to which it promotesthe development of intuition through feedback.

    SUMMARY

    Abraham Maslow summarized the limits imposed upon us by fixed mindsets when he

    said that if your only tool is a hammer then you tend to see every problem in terms of nails.

    The limits of rationality are long established and widely acknowledged within management.Previous research suggests that intuition is probably entrenched as a natural but unconscious

    mode of managers thinking but which is un-acknowledged, may operate covertly and without

    proper training can be mishandled. The argument of this paper has not been to abandonrationality in favor of intuition; as one of our participants wrote: As wild as my intuitions are I

    would most certainly have to back them up analytically to substantiate [the] claims [they make].

    We are proposing that the development of intuitive awareness should be accorded similar levelsof attention in the management and education curriculum as is rationality. We have reported

    research that has attempted to innovate in the curriculum by incorporating the concept ofintuitive attunement into Masters and in-company programs. The validation revealed the

    concept to be credible and valid in its own terms (it was well-received by participants andappeared to be achieving the aims that we set). In terms of its broader impact, although the

    methodological limitations of the self-report reflective journals and personal statements areacknowledged (Ramsey, 2002), the program appeared to have had perceived effects upon

    confidence, concentration, awareness and serenity in the areas of decision making, creativity and

    interpersonal functioning. It enhanced individuals confidence in their creative capacities, their

  • 8/12/2019 Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

    6/7

    Academy of Management Best Conference Paper 2004 MED: C6

    ability to concentrate and focus upon priority issues, their awareness of themselves and others; a

    number of participants reported that it engendered a sense of serenity and calmness. A longer-term process (with a group and a facilitator) could result in better outcomes through more

    structured reflection and feedback. Having identified these areas of probable impact, further

    research may now be directed at a more sophisticated assessment of outcomes perhaps through

    more objective, non-self-report measures using experimental and longitudinal research designsand also an examination of the effects upon organizational health (for example, stress, coping

    and burnout). In the final analysis the process of intuitive attunement in our view opens up

    exciting new possibilities both for management education and development practitioners and formanagers themselves to extend and expand their awareness of their untapped inner potential.

    REFERENCES

    Allard-Poesi, F., Drucker-Goddard, C. & Ehlinger, S. 2001. Analyzing representations and

    discourse. In R-A. Thietart (Ed), Doing management research: a comprehensive guide.London: Sage.

    Jung-Beeman, M. et al., 2004. Neural activity when people solve verbal problems with insight.

    Public Library of Science Biology, 2(4): 0415-0416 http://biology.plosjournals.org

    Burke, LA. & Miller, MK. 1999. Taking the mystery out of intuitive decision-making.

    Academy of Management Executive, 13: 91-99.

    Coutu, DL. 2004. Putting leaders on the couch: a conversation with Manfred FR. Kets de Vries.Harvard Business Review, January: 64-71.

    Epstein, S. 1994. Integration of the cognitive and the psychodynamic unconscious. American

    Psychologist, 49: 709-724.

    Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. 2002. The new leaders: transforming the art ofleadership into the science of results. London: Time Warner

    Hogarth, RM. 2001. Educating intuition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Klein, G. 2003. Intuition at work. New York: Currency / Doubleday

    Pondy, LR. 1983. Union of rationality and intuition in management action. In Srivastva, S.

    (Ed.) The executive mind: new insights on managerial thought and action. San

    Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

    Ramsey, VJ. 2002. Learning journals and learning communities, Journal of Management

    Education, 26: 380-401.

    Taggart, W. & Valenzi, E. 1990. Assessing rational and intuitive styles: a human information

    processing metaphor. Journal of Management Studies, 27: 149-172.

    Note: A full version of this paper is available from: [email protected] or fromwww.intuitiveintelligence.org

  • 8/12/2019 Intution - Becoming Smarter by Thinking Less

    7/7