Helene Finidori

Change or Die

Why is it that even under a death threat, humans can't resolve themselves to change their behaviors? In Fast Company's May issue, Alan Deutschman draws a parallel between health and corporate performance: whatever the perspective or the danger, the core of the solution is seldom to perform an operation -i.e. change the structure, culture or strategy- or to prescribe a medecine -new systems and technology-. Changing behaviors mostly happens by speaking to people's feeling and emotions, not just thoughts, and helping them adopt different frames of thinking. Change agents themselves need to learn how to change their style if necessary to get to the core. On the "change target" side, behavioral change ability, what we commonly call adaptability, is linked to our brain's ability to change, its plasticity. Everything we learn as a child is behavior based and maintains this plasticity. When the leaning stops, the plasticity decreases. This is why, the article says, continuous learning, by constantly rejuvenating the brain's plasticity, is so crucial to adaptability, not only to knowledge -not to mention living older and in a good shape!-.

See full article Change or Die.
Also see a detailed analysis of this article in Creating Passionate Users Blog

Go create!

Brought back to us via Seth's Blog, Hugh McLeod's compilation of How to be creative is a "collector". An inspirational piece of advice, humorously illustrated, for those who dream of following their creative passion: forget about judgements and markets, follow your instinct, be determined, just do it!... for yourself...

Most of our decisions or hesitations to 'go create' are motivated or repressed by our anticipations of marketability and our ability to produce marketable forms. The fear of not getting out there cuts wings and brings a great deal of frustration to talented people: you're either recognized or a loser!

The brain fights back!

I really like brain stories. In a previous life, I spent a whole diner sitting next to a Swedish neurobiologist, disciple of Damasio, questioning him about his latest research, while he probably would have loved talking of something else… So when the brain finds itself at the center of recent discussions on management, I am thrilled!

My subject of the day, is the rehabilitation of the right brain in American corporate life partly described in a recent Wired article -Revenge of the right brain- as well as in an increasing number of management publications and books. Because, on this side of the Atlantic, some actually wonder if half our brains haven’t been put to sleep: the brain of emotions, creativity, synthesis, contextualization. The brain of philosophy?

By looking at how tasks have been cut into sequential, reproductive and controllable processes, and how everything seems to be run by the book, one wonders what became of the ability to think and to connect the pieces into a meaningful whole. One starts to fear the effects of a massive and ultimate specialization and taylorization of management, with its tools and methodologies that lead into the wall once a glitch appears or the frame of reference is changed.

Concerns are even greater considering the increasing quality of education in China and India and the increased competitiveness of Asian workforce and corporations. In this context, western corporations can only endure if they develop their ability to create, invent, conceptualize, contextualize, instill some meaning and purpose, manage relationships and multiculturalism… in short, their ability to think, relate, adapt and mobilize, all major features of the 21st century leaders.

The future belongs to the right brain. And western higher education institutions ought certainly to give this some thought!