This book is a great combination of theoritical thinking as well as practical business problems. It examines the discussion on paradigms - which the authors prefer to call 'mental models' and how they constrain your perception of reality. So far, so good. Then they start outlining a practical methodology for changing your mental model, which should enable you to 'think impossible thoughts' meaning in this context, thinking thoughts that were impossible in your previous paradigm. I like the depth of research behind the concept and the academic structure given to the book on a subject that has been much discussed, but manages to give it a new perspective and some practical tools to take away with you.
I spoke with the author and have published extracts of the interview on the HyperThinker Experiment site, so please check it out if you want to hear more from the author himself: http://www.hyperthinker.com/Currentinterviews/tabid/693/Default.aspx.
A worthwhile read and a fascinating look at an issue that affects us all.
Author(s): Jerry Wind, Colin Crook, Robert Gunther
Publisher: Wharton School Publishing
Year: 2004
Language: English
Commentary: +OCR
Pages: 339
CONTENTS ......Page 39
AN ASIDE) IS THIS ANY WAY TO START A BOOK?......Page 25
ENDNOTES......Page 27
HIJACKING OUR MINDS......Page 47
Mental Models......Page 48
What We See Is What We Think......Page 52
The Importance of Mental Models......Page 54
Thinking the Impossible......Page 56
ENDNOTES......Page 58
PART 1 RECOGNIZE THE POWER AND LIMITS OF MENTAL MODELS......Page 59
CHAPTER 1 OUR MODELS DEFINE OUR WORLD......Page 61
THE PARALLEL UNIVERSES IN OUR MINDS......Page 66
WHERE "MODELS" COME FROM......Page 69
AVOIDING OBSOLESCENCE......Page 74
THE CONSEQUENCES OF MODELS......Page 76
ENDNOTES......Page 78
CHAPTER 2 RUNNING THE MIRACLE MILE......Page 79
THE POWER OF MODELS......Page 84
PERILS OF MODELS......Page 86
THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS INDOMITABLE......Page 90
ENDNOTES......Page 92
PART 2 KEEPING YOUR MODELS RELEVANT......Page 95
CHAPTER 3 SHOULD YOU CHANGE HORSES?......Page 97
KNOWING WHEN TO SWITCH HORSES......Page 104
OFF TO THE RACES......Page 113
ENDNOTES......Page 114
CHAPTER 4 PARADIGM SHIFTS ARE A TWO-WAY STREET......Page 115
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW......Page 117
THE SEQUENCE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS......Page 121
SOMETIMES WE GO ONLY ONE WAY......Page 123
THE PARADIGM SWING: LIVING IN ST. PETERSBURG......Page 125
PARADIGMS WHOSE TIME HAS NOT YET COME......Page 127
SEEING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS......Page 129
ENDNOTES......Page 132
CHAPTER 5 SEEING A NEW WAY OF SEEING......Page 135
HOW TO SEE DIFFERENTLY......Page 138
NEW MAPS......Page 148
ENDNOTES......Page 149
CHAPTER 6 SIFT FOR SENSE FROM STREAMS OF COMPLEXITY......Page 151
THROWING A DROWNING MAN ANOTHER MEGABYTE OF DATA......Page 156
IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTEXT......Page 159
THE PROCESS OF ZOOMING IN AND ZOOMING OUT......Page 163
EXTREME THINKING: SIMULTANEOUS ZOOMING IN AND OUT......Page 173
AN APPLICATION: DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?......Page 174
ZOOMING......Page 175
ENDNOTES......Page 177
CHAPTER 7 ENGAGE IN R&D OF THE MIND......Page 179
THE NEED FOR EXPERIMENTS......Page 181
CONDUCTING COGNITIVE R&D......Page 183
INTO THE LABORATORY......Page 190
LIFE AS A LABORATORY: CONTINUOUS ADAPTIVE EXPERIMENTATION......Page 194
ENDNOTES......Page 195
PART 3 TRANSFORM YOUR WORLD......Page 197
CHAPTER 8 DISMANTLE THE OLD ORDER......Page 199
PERSISTENCE OF MODELS......Page 201
CHANGING MODELS: REVOLUTION OR EVOLUTION......Page 203
SMOOTHING THE WAY TO A NEW ORDER......Page 205
CASTLES IN THE AIR......Page 211
ENDNOTES......Page 213
CHAPTER 9 FIND COMMON GROUND TO BRIDGE ADAPTIVE DISCONNECTS......Page 215
ADAPTIVE DISCONNECTS......Page 217
THE NEED FOR UNLEARNING......Page 219
ADDRESSING ADAPTIVE DISCONNECTS......Page 220
ADAPTING THE WORLD......Page 227
ENDNOTE......Page 228
PART 4 ACT QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY......Page 229
CHAPTER 10 DEVELOP THE INTUITION TO ACT QUICKLY......Page 231
WHAT IS INTUITION?......Page 233
THE POWER OF CREATIVE LEAPS......Page 235
DANGERS OF INTUITION......Page 236
DEVELOPING YOUR CAPACITY FOR INTUITION......Page 239
MODELS IN ACTION......Page 244
ENDNOTES......Page 245
HOWARD SCHULTZ......Page 247
OPRAH WINFREY......Page 253
ANDY GROVE......Page 258
CONCLUSIONS......Page 263
ENDNOTES......Page 266
CHAPTER 12 CHALLENGING YOUR OWN THINKING: PERSONAL, BUSINESS AND SOCIETY......Page 268
HEALTHY THINKING: MAKING SENSE IN PERSONAL LIFE......Page 269
DOT-COM: MAKING SENSE IN BUSINESS......Page 275
TERRORISM AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS: MAKING SENSE IN SOCIETY......Page 285
ENDNOTES......Page 292
CONCLUSION: WHAT YOU THINK IS WHAT YOU DO......Page 294
Beyond Possibility......Page 296
APPENDIX: THE NEUROSCIENCE BEHIND MENTAL MODELS......Page 298
CORE CONCEPTS......Page 300
EXPLICATIONS......Page 307
ENDNOTES......Page 313
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 316
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 320
B......Page 322
C......Page 323
E......Page 324
G......Page 325
I......Page 326
L......Page 327
M......Page 328
O......Page 329
P......Page 330
S......Page 331
V......Page 332
Z......Page 333
