Corporate cultures are based on paradigms and worldviews – seeing things“my way”. They often lead to tunnel vision, which leads to being a poor problem solver and decision maker – a poor leader.
Paradigms are the foundation of science, scientific theory and discovery. They are a general model – pattern – template, made up of a set of assumptions, concepts, and theories that provide a lens through which we view and interpret the world. We take action based on our paradigms. If I’m a sailor and the navigational paradigm is the world is flat, I fear sailing off the edge of the world. If I’m a sailor and the navigational paradigm is the earth is round, I sail East to get to the West, because I’m sailing around a globe.
A worldview is a personal belief system that guides how we live our lives. It is our overall perspective for interpreting the world. World views include religious templates – Christian, Sikh, Atheist, Judaism, Hindu , Buddhist, Mormon, etc. A worldview can also include attitudes – optimism, determinism, compassion, skepticism, ambition, resilience, tolerance, etc. It can include philosophical and ideological templates – capitalism, communism, monarchism, democracy, conservatism, libertarianism, etc.
REFLECT:
What are some of your world views?
How are the same or different than your parents?
Have any of them changed in the past year?
One clear example of paradigms / worldviews with disastrous results Is the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center. Could it have been prevented?
During the post 9-11 period, there were numerous investigations into the failure of the intelligence community to prevent the New York City Twin Towers bombings by Al Queda. The investigations usually addressed the lack of information sharing between the CIA and FBI. But additional research revealed another more pervasive issue – narrow and limited paradigms and world views.
On August 23, 1996, Osama bin Laden declared war on Israel and the US. He asked the Muslim Brotherhood to help fight these common enemies. Speaking from a cave in Tora Bora in Afghanistan, he was a long-bearded man wearing fatigues over simple white cloth top and trousers. To a critical mass of CIA analysts, he appeared primitive – the essence of backwardness – and of no serious danger.
According to a CIA insider, the agency was misled by his appearance. According to a Muslim scholar, Bin Laden’s appearance was strategic. How did their responses / analyses differ so radically?
What the Western analysts missed was the paradigm of a Muslim prophet. In the Western world paradigm and worldview, power (especially military power) is NOT humility, simplicity, imagery and poetry. They missed the Muslim paradigm. Bin Laden was modeling himself on the Prophet Mohammed, and people with his paradigm / world view saw him as having the highest power. The cave was an overarching symbol for Muslims. Their prophet, Mohammed, escaped to a cave when he was persecuted, and he had the vision of the Koran in a mountain cave. The images of the cave could be compared to the image of a Christian cross or a Buddhist Bodha tree.
Muslims understood the cave paradigm, wearing simple cloth, fasting, and using poses and postures of the holiest of prophets. In addition, the use of Arabic poetry was an important paradigm. The Western mind found the use of poetry eccentric and quaint. To Muslims, poetry is a major aspect of he Persian culture: it is holy.
Missing an important worldview, the CIA did not believe bin Laden would start a war he couldn’t win. So they didn’t allocate resources to investigate and / or infiltrate the Al Qaeda forces. The code name for bin Laden’s operation was The Big Wedding, reflecting the worldview that the day of a martyr’s death is his wedding day. In the Koran, victory for jihadists is gained in paradise, not on earth. On the day of his death, the martyr will be greeted by virgins a the gates of heaven. This is the big prize, the inspiration, the motivation – not a win or victory on a battlefield.
Those willing to die for their faith flocked to the movement. They underwent intense military training in hijacking, espionage, and assassination. Many were well educated professionals with the skills to plan and execute attacks. Many were from the US with an understanding of American paradigms and worldviews.
And so Al Qaeda prevailed in attacking the US. The CIA analysts and field operators were primarily WASPS -White Anglo Saxon Protestants. These dedicated, committed, competent hard working agents were collectively blind to the symbols / paradigms / world views of their opponents.
Studying this phenomenon – seeing things from a limited scope and missing critical elements – has become more common, from space flight disasters to corporate failures to investment behaviors. Paradigm shifts are occurring in organizational leadership, many based on technological advances. Worldviews are being challenged through globalization, and cross cultural and cross generational beliefs and behaviors. To be effective, leaders must be self challenging and self expanding about their paradigms and worldviews.
REFLECT:
Think of shifts in your job / field / industry.
Which were welcomed? And by whom?
Which were considered disrupters?
APPLY:
Create a plan to expand your understanding of others’ paradigms and world views
Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, Matthew Syed, Flatiron Books, 2019.
