The Physics of Management: Chapter 2

Unlike management and consulting, the subject of physics is bound by postulates, theorems, and laws. It isn’t as contextual as consulting is and neither does it have as many exceptions as management does. To put it simply, physics operates on the premise that there are four fundamental forces (that we surely know of right now) and everything in this universe gets affected by these forces. Based on the universe’s interactions with these fundamental forces, come unchanging repeated observations which become laws. Some interactions with these laws are specific and become theorems, while some are offshoots of these interactions which become postulates. The universe is built on these rules and no interaction is excluded from their power.

There are some amazing concepts in physics that can lend a great deal of insight into the nature of the universe. The series of these papers will talk about those physics concepts and try to create a new ‘physical’ framework for management and consulting.

Frames of Reference and the Principle of Relativity

One of the cornerstone principles of physics is relativity introduced by Einstein in his paper on special relativity. It says that “the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference”. Although simple, this statement has far-reaching consequences in the study of motion (in Physics) and so too in the observation of events (in management and consulting). But in order to understand this more deeply, we will first need to know what Frames of Reference (FoR) are.

In physics, the Frame of Reference (FoR) is the relationship between an observer and the phenomenon under observation. It is the founding block by which any observer perceives an event and makes observations regarding the same. To put it simply (and almost trivializing it) it is the what, how, and when of an observer’s observation, based entirely on the observer’s placement and condition. The FoR is abstract (meaning it isn’t tangible), personal (meaning the FoR for you and for me observing the same event will be different), and it is the basis of all observations recorded by the observer. Let us study this with an example.

Van Damme and his Volvo split

Suppose you are sitting in a Volvo truck on a highway being driven at the maximum speed limit. As you are observing the beautiful scenery outside, you realize another Volvo truck on the parallel lane beside you driving at the exact same speed. The twist is it has Van Damme standing on top of it! Now, what would you observe? For your FoR, you are the origin sitting in a truck that is stationary for you as it moves in the same speed and direction as you are moving. When you look at Van Damme, he will also appear stationary for you as he and his truck move at exactly the same speed as you are. If it weren’t unlawful, dangerous, and totally insane, you could most definitely do what Van Damme would proceed to do next!

Now look at Van Damme doing his split and imagine observing it from the truck. Is he moving AT ALL for you? The answer is no because your Frame of Reference is the same as his Frame of Reference and thus you find him stationary. But for a guy standing at the sidelines on the highway, Van Damme is doing a split while moving! For him, VD, the trucks, and you all are in motion and not at all at rest! And that is the power of Frame of Reference. The same event at the same time, but entirely different observations because the observers and their FoR changed.

Imagine the Earth for exercise. Are we all moving with the moving Earth? Do we ever realize though that the person sitting beside us is in perennial motion?

FoR in human interactions

So how does all of the information discussed in the previous sections sum up to an insight into management and consulting? You see, people in the same FoR vis-à-vis people in a different FoR will always observe the same event differently. Now the differential in the observation depends on how different the FoRs are. In physics, a Frame of Reference (FoR) is made up of the origin (where is the observer?), the orientation (how do they observe?), and the scale (how much do they observe?) specified by a set of co-ordinates which become the founding blocks of the observer’s truth.

In the example above, the truth of the observation for the observer sitting in the truck is that Van Damme is not moving and for the observer standing on the road, the truth is that Van Damme is in motion. And as strange as it may sound – both truths are true! If one wonders in a corporate setting where KPI discussions were happening, or where work completion was being discussed or for even a risk mitigation meeting, wherever there are multiple parties involved there will exist multiple Frames of Reference and hence multiple truths. And this is exactly why a manager or a consultant or any individual in such a situation needs to understand and appreciate others’ FoR before taking decisions.

An individual’s reality is defined by their FoR which is made up of their complex assumptions and attitudes which come together to lend perception and meaning to the individual. This FoR is formed of their beliefs, schemas, preferences, values, and cultures which come together to inform their biases, understanding, and eventually their judgment (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981) (Changing Minds, n.d.).?

A very simple example of our FoRs at play is when we choose the color of our cars/mobiles/shirts etc. Look at how some people love the solid metallic colors of black, white, and grey and find the other colors ‘not formal enough’. We’d have an equal number of individuals who’d choose a red, yellow, or blue and find the other colors to be ‘not lively enough. And then we’d find a huge number of individuals who’d say the color depends on the occasion and yet still we’d find people who’d argue against that belief. This can apply to almost anything from your caramel latte to the pineapple on a pizza to working from home to liking this article! And that’s the richness of human perspective which can be understood by acknowledging that humans view everything from their Frames of Reference which itself isn’t absolute and keeps changing. My truth can never be your truth and it can never be the one absolute truth. And it is when we realize this that management and consulting truly start making sense!

In my past role in the area of change management for an acquisition program some time ago, my target audience was all fixed-term contract employees in the India region. These individuals were all teachers, in the average age bracket of 45 years, almost all married with kids, and had an average lifetime of close to 6 years in the organization. Here, just like with any M&A program, the end-user teachers were apprehensive of losing their jobs because of the impending acquisition. My team and I were contacted to help with the pre-and post-acquisition transition centered around the change experience of these end-users. A quick observation and it was easy to realize that my Frame of Reference of viewing this transition was not at all in sync with the end user’s FoR.?Apart from the demographic difference (which plays a huge role in the culture and values part of FoR) I had nothing to fear of this acquisition, my beliefs and understandings were far different as I had much more information at hand and hence less anxiety, and on the whole, I was observing this transition from an origin which was very different from theirs. If the team would have gone ahead with communications without considering the realities and truths of the teachers, it would have been a disaster. History informs us of such numerous unfortunate examples. If you go back into your own memory, you’d be able to recollect instances where you had an Amigdala hijack, or where you lashed out on someone, or where you realized you had messed up just because you didn’t consider and appreciate the other party’s FoR.?

In conclusion, acknowledging and appreciating the other party’s FoR is neither difficult nor new. Right from our school days, we were taught the phrase ‘ to step into someone’s shoes ‘. The concept of FoR is not very different. The judgments of an individual are made up of their beliefs, schemas, preferences, values, and cultures. When dealing with an event, understanding the other party’s contexts and not stonewalling our ideas as the sole truth can be a step in the right direction. It is the easiest to believe that our truths are the real truths and hence absolute but the reality could be far from this. The objective of this paper is to bring to attention that

Truths can be many, realities could be various, and appreciating the Frames of Reference of all parties involved in an event could be the single common denominator.

Post Script

Of-late, I see various arguments and discussions happen over whether clearing CAT is good or bad, big-name colleges are required or unnecessary or whether completing years of HR service without making a rangoli is something to be proud of or not, or whether LinkedIn is the correct platform for posting family updates. There are numerous such discussions with numerous truths and realities. My answer to all these questions using the Frame of Reference discussion is that it depends. It depends on the observer’s 5 elements of FoR – beliefs, schemas, preferences, values, and cultures ….

My truth cannot be your truth and it cannot be the one absolute truth.

Works Cited

Changing Minds. (n.d.).?Frame of Reference. Retrieved from changingminds.org: https://changingminds.org/explanations/models/frame_of_reference.htm

Kovalevsky, J., & Mueller, I. I. (1989). Introduction to Reference Frames.?Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 1–12.

PresentatioGo. (n.d.).?5-piece vertical puzzle pencil.

Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1981). The framing of decisions and psychology of choice.?Science, 453-458.