RM:OM:Chapter3: Reality, Resistance and Resolution

This post is chapter 3 of the book 'The Opposable Mind' written by Roger Martin. You can read the high level review of the book in  THIS POST. Please read it before you read this post.

Read Chapter 1,and Chapter 2 of the book.The full title of this chapter is Reality, Resistance and Resolution: How integrative thinkers keep their option open.

If integrative thinking was such a good idea, why doesn't people use it all the time? One reason is what is known as 'factory setting' or our mind. It has a tendency to ensure that ore models of reality are reality itself. In other words the think that what we think is right.

Why do we do so? We do so because of our tendency to modify the information that we receive into some kind of meaningful narrative. In doing so, we filter out much of the data that comes to us. In this process, there is no guarantee that we won't filter out valuable data in our quest to compile a coherent narrative.

Integrative thinkers have the ability to distinguish model from reality. The integrative thinkers has the ability to distinguish between reality and model that purport to reflect reality. In doing so, they are free to hold up the models up to analysis and scrutiny without needing to refute one from another. This helps them to explore the tensions between opposing models and gather clues to a better model. The message the they take away when faced with unpleasant choices is not 'Choose Now', but 'Think Harder'.