The Power of Impossible Thinking: Transform the Business of Your Life and the Life of Your Business

Description

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. 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