Schlagwort-Archive: Perception

Polaris – the ideal metaphor for a business landmark

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On the open sea and without appropriate landmarks people orient themselves with the help of the sky. During the day, the sun leads you. At night one uses the visible stars, which move on a circular path. All stars are on the move? No! One star seems to be fixed above the North Pole. This gives seamen in the northern hemisphere for centuries the opportunity to determine north without a compass. The distance to the horizon allows the calculation of the latitude, where the observer is located. In business life, a corresponding, widely visible reference point is needed.

Just as the cardinal points can be deduced from the pole star, the significant business landmark provides the basis for the alignment of the collective attitude. The business Polaris influences the following aspects.

  • Perception
    We do not perceive everything that is there, but, depending on the current mood, we filter out what fits best at this moment. Basically, each of our five senses is set to a defined bandwidth. In addition, our mindfulness determines what we extract out of the flood of information. As a result, perception influences our thinking.
  • Thinking
    The thinking becomes more sensitive in the course of life. The concepts and models are stabilizing and becoming clearer and more coherent. The personal standpoint enforces individual opinions. In order to get to a common perspective, a guiding system is needed that determines the collective thinking and the joint messages.
  • Communication
    Once the group exchanges ideas, a common language is needed. It contains words, pictures and other means of communication as well as a common understanding. Since the exchange of information can not convey the actual meaning, everybody needs a harmonized resonance space that provides similar associations. As a result, the real action is pushed into similar paths.
  • Action
    The intention is implemented only by the doing. Thereby the message gets further distorted, since individuals are also influenced in the doing by unconscious reflexes and feelings. However, the action creates that way the facts that do not match the original intention. Through a guiding principle, the actions are always re-bundled and aligned to each other.

The group members follow their personal interests. The guiding star allows the adaptation of the interests and to unanimously navigate through the flood of stimulants, the structures of the mental models, the vague messages and the diverse actions. The definition of a given reference point allows the participants to move independently in the agreed direction. Such a pole star is a fundamental business topic such as customer orientation or product orientation or process orientation.

Bottom line: The basic course of the company can be determined by a simple business landmark. This activates the appropriate filters in the workforce, which adjust the perception. Thinking revolves around a fixed reference point. The vocabulary ultimately includes terms that everybody interprets in a similar way. At the end, harmonization becomes visible through the actions of each individual. The landmark helps determining all further steps – as well as the use of the pole star for navigation on the open sea. This makes Polaris the ideal metaphor for the business landmark.

Simply attentive

The urge of further improving the economics brings the staff members, above all, more tasks, which have less available time for execution. This results in pressure that produces physical and mental damages. Subsequently the ability gets lost to be simply attentive at any time.

Aufmerksamkeit

The current situation is determined by the own mental state and the mood of the partners. In order to use the various perspectives, one has to take time to make oneself aware of the different points of view. This is valid for the own convictions, opinions and experiences, but also for trying to understand the mental world of other people and groups.

Experienced reflections that will be ever easier over time become possible through a set of smart questions. The following aspects enable the dispute with yourself and putting oneself in the position of others.

  • Context
    A situation always happens in a certain environment. At which times (when), in which environment (where), with whom (who), by using (by what), with which emphasis (why) and for which purpose (what for), happens something (what)? Only the procedures that take place in the context should be considered. All others should be excluded.
  • Influence
    In a situation various interests collide. For this reason you should limit yourself to the circumstances that you can influence. Which components of the context are important (which) and can be affected by yourself or by others (who)? Only the facts that can be influenced make a difference.
  • Procedure
    The event is defined by the acts that proceed in a certain order. What triggers the situation (Cause), which steps take place in which order (Sequence) and what results from the situation (Outcome)? The procedure provides the individual causes and effects that result eventually in the outcomes.
  • Perception
    Our perception is limited by the own horizon. One way to overcome this restriction is the consideration of all senses. What can be seen (visually)? What can be heard (auditory)? How does it feel like (kinesthetic)? What can be smelled (olfactory)? What can be tasted (gustatory)? Through the consideration of the different sensory stimuli you receive a comprehensive impression of the circumstances.
  • Core
    The insights that one connects with the circumstances, make the core of the conditions more concrete. What does one learn from the situation (Insights) that is useful (Advantages) or harms (Disadvantages) oneself? The point of view is extended by the consciously made pros and cons and minimizes unintentional effects.
  • Concernment
    The unconscious influences become visible by looking at the own convictions. Which values will become injured and which negative attitudes are confirmed by the situation? The recognition of the intuitive influences de-emotionalizes the evaluation of the situation.

If you look at the six aspects from the own perspective or with the eyes of others, you can receive a comprehensive overview of a situation at any time.

Bottom line: In order to be simply attentive, it is important to recognize and to examine with the above questions the involved points of view. Thus one gets away from the naturally subjective perception of the conditions and gets a clearer basis for effective discourses.