WHEN IS NON-LINEAR THINKING REQUIRED?

Linear logic based education has conditioned our mind to seek or expect patterned events. We are easily unsettled with a series of unexpected events and associate rapid change to be a precursor to chaos.

Non-Linear thinking would reveal that even though “consistent recurrence” of change has become a cliché within OUR ENVIRONMENT: our systems & processes remain unprepared to handle frequent change.

We perhaps need to recognize that the definition of change may be responsible for THE HIGH IMPACT it seems to have. THE extent of change is NOT a tangible measure because it is based on 'our level of unpreparedness AND not the EVENT! (excluding natural disasters). Therefore CHANGE is better understood as a SUBJECTIVE event with varying effects.

We are in a Non-Linear Era where the future is no longer emulating past patterns. Linear logic based systems and education have conditioned us to frame our expectations on the past, and so UNDERSTANDING becomes conditional to a past emulation. To understand we need to RELATE. If it has not happened before WE ARE AT A LOSS!!

 

NLT would perhaps NOT be applicable to the fortunate few who believe that they can still exercise control on their environment and therefore assume that their future will follow a forecasted and planned direction. For the majority the uncertainty of the future has become the accepted norm or a resigned fate; and for them NLT will provide better solutions.

Non-Linear Thinking will help alter approach and attitude towards change – whose definition is perceived to mean an “unexpected event”. To those who adopt NLT - change MUST be seen as just another “New Situation”. (Hereafter we should refer to it as a NEWSIT, removing the trauma associated with an unexpected event).

This will then help progress the thought process to associate NEWSIT as an opportunity – rather than a setback or as a destabilizing event. We need to develop an attitude which considers the low frequency of NEWSIT to mean STAGNATION and hence “lack of progress”

The intention of this writing is to acknowledge that the Non-linearity of events & our day to day results are fast becoming the norm, requiring us to anticipate ‘fluidity of events’ .This requires a similar thinking. ( Called Water Logic by Dr Bono.)  

The socio economic development of the Western World had been nurtured in a “patterned” era during which time their economies experienced orderly growth. The  “linear linkage between INPUT & OUTPUT has created our modern management systems that base their planning on forecastable socio-economic models. This patterned Linear era must be given due credit for creating the individual growth & scientific progress which has brought economic prosperity to hundreds of millions in different parts of the world.  

NOW these systems are failing because the FORCES that determine our OUTPUT are far more COMPLEX than we perceive and some even UNKNOWN at the time of making the plan. BUT these systems have become ingrained in our thought process in the form of laws, theories and systems; which are now considered to be successful formulae documented within our History.  
Linear Logic has therefore promoted the power of “chronology” - where decision making and analyses has been based on the sequential method of reasoning. IF THIS - THEN THAT or IF NOT THIS - THEN THE OTHER!  
Anything in between has been perceived as shades of Grey, wishy washy, - and thus commonly defined or interpreted as an unclear outlook lacking direction. CREATIVITY is tragically suppressed at an early age in YOUNG MINDS and perhaps INADVERTANTLY within the linear objective of creating discipline. The YOUNG MIND is instinctively a FREE thinking resource and NEEDS to be exploited as INDIA’s greatest ASSET for its prosperous future. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT EVEN THOUGH MOST BELIEVE THAT THE WEST WILL STILL LEAD IN EDUCATION: THIS FOCUS WILL NOT BECOME the educational mantra in the WEST because ONLY INDIA has the UNIQUE SITUATION where MORE THAN 50% of our population IS AND WILL REMAIN YOUTH.

CREATIVITY has since the end of the 20^th century  started to get greater valuation; though not YET through education. UNFORTUNATELY our social systems have sought to classify and placed it “outside the box” as was - Lateral thinking.  

Non Linear Thinking is not intended to be a “pessimistic” tool ONLY for those in trouble - but a positive one to enable preparedness, provide ability to develop strategies that create opportunity, identify niches, provide solutions within Change (henceforth called NEWSIT) that create MINIMAL CONFLICT.  

We believe that NLT should be seen as a common resource requiring no inherent creativity, skill or knowledge. Every mind should be able to use NLT to find solutions because of the thought process and not as a “skill”.  

NLT has greater relevance in this era because of the increased frequency of NEWSIT and its subsequent effects such as; decreased life cycle of products, fickle customers, short lived economic stability & even political power. This fast pace of obsolescence has to be accepted as the NORM in a NON-LINEAR ERA. We can revive the hidden resource of the MIND; which is instinctive, unbiased, and well suited to UNCERTAINTY !

Unfortunately our systems have been designed for what we refer to as ‘orderly execution of a preplanned event’ and thus unprepared for NEWSIT.  

We can use NLT and develop better solutions FOR ANY SPECIFIC or ANY common issue that effects our society and our day to day lives. NLT can be applied to any topic - without detailed knowledge or past experience and provides solutions that evolve based on UNIQUE COMPLEXITY CREATED BY SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT.