Henry Ford once said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is and that is why few people engage in it” Most people are lazy thinkers. To them everything is linear. Linear thinking believes that x leads to y, that y causes z, and that b is the inevitable consequence of a.

“You made me unhappy because you were late. My poor schooling led to my dead-end job. I have been successful because I am very clever. Hitler caused the Second World War. My firm cannot grow because the industry is declining. Unemployment is the price we pay for low inflation. High taxes are necessary if we want to look after the poor, the sick, and the old. And so on. My Company can never grow because the economy is bad”

All of these are examples of linear thinking. Linear thinking is attractive because it is simple, cut and dried. The trouble is that it is a poor description of the world and an even worse preparation for changing it. Scientists and historians have long ago abandoned linear thinking. Why should you cling to it?

Nothing flows from one simple cause. Nothing is inevitable. Nothing is ever in equilibrium or unchangeable. No undesired state of affairs need endure. Nothing desirable need be unobtainable.

Few people understand what is causing anything, good or bad. Causes may be very influential without being particularly noticeable or even (yet) very extensive.

The opposite of linear thinking is “Lateral thinking”. It assumes 1+1= X causes could come from so many places. If you think your firm isn’t growing because the industry is declining the lack of growth could stem from the identity.

Case in point: MTN (leading Telcom in Uganda) is in the business of connecting you everywhere you go and for such they will sell you gambling services, mobile money, insurance and even delivery services as opposed to sticking to the identity of voice and data. They are not bound by industry definitions.

That is called lateral thinking

See you on 24th Jan 2024