Just think within the BOX
George Nyabera
Business Relationship Management | IT Leadership | IT Consulting | IT Project Management | Women in Tech Advocate
I get very amused by motivational speakers who, opine with such finality and confidence, that solutions to our problems will come when we think outside the box. Some go overdrive to suggest that we should think without the box in mind all-together!
But come to think of it. What does the box mean?
I would like to suggest that the box is about constraints.
If you are a student of pure science, thinking inside of the box is the order of the day. In Math, you would be told to assume that Pi=3.14159, g=9.8 m/s2. In some cases, a student would be told to take Pi=22/7.
In Frequency Spectrum Management, we are told to design and plan with knowledge of the finiteness of the spectrum. A broadcaster or engineer who wants to build a FM solution would be constrained to the 88-108 MHz spectrum no less or more. A satellite communications engineer (even businessman) is restrained to the 4-8GHz (including those doing the 5G networks).
Business accountants will argue the limitation of liability in so far as maximum amount of exposure the company can absorb in the event of lawsuit. How come there is "a box" in terms of how much risk the company would want to take?
One is therefore left with options of optimization of designs whilst limiting to operate within the constraints.
Next time somebody asks me to "think outside the box", I will want them to help me define how limitless the world's resources are.
Child safeguarding- (MH/MHH) Health Promotion & Community Engagement, Project Management,
5 年Mmm... Its simply a metaphor- throwing the limits off- the only ingredient to uncharted waters/endeavors/ frontiers.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, FILMAKER & DIGITAL MARKETER, THOMEJAY STUDIOS
5 年Great thinking there. I can say it's out of the box. ??. You just lived the metaphor. But honestly it makes sense when you think of it that way. More like a paradigm shift. There are limits. In photography we define exposure as a product of intensity and time. If not well achieved, there is over/under exposure. E=IxT. There are limits but sometimes we over expose to achieve an effect, long exposure and we are praised to be the best in the business. For me I think it depends with where you are standing.
Award Winning HR | Certified Coach |Career & Executive Coach |Nurse Manager Leadership Coach| HR Specialist |Career Outplacement Services Expert | CV & Executive Interview Preparation| IHRM Kenya Council Member
5 年George, my old good friend, you amaze with your approach to matters noting you combine science, philosophy, metaphysics, the questioning style of Socrates. Now back to thinking outside the Box. It is amazing how motivational speakers and some management trainers have raised the bar of " thinking outside the box" to achieve goals or make breakthroughs . What they do not tell us is what the box is, and the context therein. Sure it is a metaphor to think in new perspective. If that be the case, then the perspective and condition we are operating at, which is the collective psyche of our norms, values, logic, ideas, understanding, ability to think beyond our current level, our accepatance of status, is the " BOX". For example, light was initially supplied by petroleum companies. Paraffin torches placed strategically at corners of streets, houses etc. Then a man you know very well came up with idea of supplying light from another source, electricty. That is thinking outside the box. then Bang! poor petroleum fellows never saw it coming. For years they had to rethink strategy. The petrol driven engines saved them. Then this other gentleman. He predicetd mobile phones with cameras, in 50's. Guess that is thinking outside the box.?