Awareness and the Expectation Gap

History is merely a list of surprises,' I said. 'It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again. Please write that down.

Kurt Vonnegut

This week we focused on Awareness and its role in the Expectation Gap. 

Let's start with what the following things have in common:

• Playdoh
• Microwave Ovens
• Post-its
• Cornflakes
• Penicillin
• A dog bolting on a track during a 4x200m relay
• Overreaching to catch a flyball

The answer is they were not expected outcomes, but they exist thanks to awareness.

Playdoh evolved from wallpaper cleaner to childhood (and adult!) play putty as heating moved from coal to electric. Post-its exist because a scientist attempting to develop a super-strong adhesive instead created a "low-tack" pressure sensitive adhesive. The dog and the flyball - well the games were won, just not as expected.

The above are all great examples of unforeseen influences that threatened expected outcomes. Instead of scraping ideas entirely, awareness created opportunities! It all depends on individual perspective but what may at first appear to be an undesirable surprise ultimately turns into forward progress; change. Cornflakes exist because stale cooked wheat was too costly to waste in 1894. A little extra processing and sugar turned the unexpected into the 19th most popular cereal in the U.S.

Organizations and individuals devote a substantial amount of resources - time, money, and people trying to create infallible plans for desired outcomes. But by straining to avoid surprises, or worse ignoring them, significant costs are incurred. Resources are wasted and opportunities are lost including the possibility to achieve something far greater than originally expected.

And so, its Awareness that bridges the Expectation Gap by preparing us to be surprised yet again. To leverage what was once never anticipated into the change we never knew was needed.

How do you integrate surprises and the unforeseen into the achievement of expected goals and outcomes?