A HyperThinker discussion with Colin Crook, author of Impossible Thinking (2004)
“So the mental model is a very complex amalgam of many, many models. What we were warning about on the paradigm shift was the notion that there is this monolithic theory, which you embraced and then everything else went overboard.”
Colin Crook is senior fellow of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Advisory Board member of Rein Capital, editorial board member of the journal Emergence and has served on numerous National Academy committees and advisory groups. He has provided advice to governments and businesses around the world, and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK). He was formerly Chief Technology Officer for Citicorp.
(source: www.whartonsp.com/authors/)
This interview was hosted by Philip Weiss, director of communication consultancy ZN with Colin Crook.
Listen to highlights of the audio interview.
Colin explains the point he makes in Impossible Thinking
“Does reality exist?”, asks Philip
Why we need impossible thinking
Why paradigm shifts are dangerous
You need to live with a portfolio of mental models
A quick take on what’s going on; Two billion portable phones in
the world.
Things are different with 2billion agents acting together,
but we’re basically people.
“Do we have to upgrade our thinking?”, asks Phil
The trauma of letting go
Phil asks how good it is to create new words
Colin tells how he uses his children to shock the board meeting
How the scale of networks affects world-wide fads
Changing your mental models is like stepping out of your mind
says Phil. Can we really do that?
Does chaning mental models mean that you question everything
all the time?
How should I go about changing my mental models,
when everything around me is resisting change?