Rapid Thought Switching (RTS) not Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Let me start off by saying that there are definitely those that have a disorder that can cause harm to themselves and others… not what I am addressing in this issue. In last month's issue I addressed RTS:

• As an integral component of critical thinking, as it is the most effective way to harness the power and creativity of “stream of consciousness” information
• Corporate entrepreneurs embrace RTS as a way to take ideas to practical product innovation and process improvements
• The most effective way to analyze qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously.

Many experts state that RTS is called racing thoughts and can cause anxiety and a feeling of being uncomfortable. There is a whole list of disorders that experts associate with RTS, however, that is because they don’t truly understand the potential benefit once you learn to harness its power. Many of these disorders are due to the lack of understanding and ability or others to understand and or keep up with your thought process.

In this edition I am not addressing in detail how to harness the power of RTS because first we must acknowledge that it is not a disorder, but an advanced form of thinking. After that we can discuss how to harness it power. If you want to more information about how it can be utilized, read last month's edition on Critical Thinking and then make up your own mind.

Let's briefly review the 6 components of the RTS framework:

1. Basic thought which includes basic reasoning which is primarily linear and based on what we are familiar with.

2 Multi-dimensional thinking utilizes advanced elements of reasoning such as using multiple thoughts simultaneously. It is the ability to think creatively while ensuring it stays within a baseline of structure.

3. Stream of Consciousness thinking is the ability to tap into the collective knowledge that is available in the energy around us. It may be something that just comes to you or something you came in contact with, but did not register as important until now. Some call this intuition.

4. Knowledge dimensional thinking is accomplished through the use of data that is known or collected during collaboration with others. Tools such as S.W.A.T. analysis, cause and effect (fishbone) diagrams, mind-mapping, thought leadership pods are all used to gather and assimilate both quantitative and qualitative data into the thinking process. Most times you do not have to use these tools in a formal manner, however knowing how to use the tools will allow you to take advantage of the concepts when thinking.

5.Wisdom dimension is the ability to recall lessons learned from others we either meet or have studied. This can be from a person we have a chance encounter with, or an encounter with someone we consider a mentor.

6.Experiential dimension is just what it sounds like, our experiences. Critical thinking requires us to use our experiences differently when we encounter different situations.

In many people these dimensions happen in various levels of autonomous thinking, while in those that only use “Remember & Regurgitate (R&R)” it takes training and acknowledgment that RTS is a valuable skill that can be harnessed and not a disorder that needs to be drugged into submission!

The Big Lie

Most companies say they want employees to think outside the box and be creative thinkers, yet the innovative and practical solutions sought after are often stopped in their tracks by legacy systems, corporate culture, a lack of collaboration, and a misunderstanding of RTS and its value.

Fingerpointeroursis is the corporate disease caused by R&R thinkers that cannot follow the thought process of someone using RTS to identify an issue and come up with a solution. Their brainwashing that hyper focus (not causing waves) is the only way to advance in the company and solve problems. This hyper focus produces a culture of command and control which leads to fear of being wrong or ridiculed by others. The way in which change is happening at large scale enterprise is still entrenched with the same issues and facilitation techniques that have existed for decades. Despite the massive transformation that digital technology has brought to our world, leadership and culture remain stuck in the industrial era that has always rewarded R&R thinking.

The Big Secret

To make matters worse, the majority of employees have learned to nod heads and agree as they are numbed by PowerPoint and managers that only care about their “sub-optimized” goals and objectives. Employees that have not been emotionally or financially beaten into submission do their best to give input based on RTS,?but soon the status-quo voices from their co-workers and management that dominate and feed on “Fingerpointerosis,” “Competitive Obsession,” and a zero-sum gain culture (where everyone loses) win out.

Here is the secret; employees that thrive on R& R thinking and are fearful of RTS thinkers find ways to “level-set” their work to the lowest benchmark possible allowing the mediocre to survive and many times get promoted. Innovation dies, inspiration is muted, process improvements stay hidden, risks are not brought up, the “ME” culture never becomes the “WE” culture.

It Starts With Our Education System

First lets stop drugging our kids from the time they enter the school system. In order to do this we need to acknowledge that educators are not so different from their corporate counterparts when it comes to things like Fingerpointerousis and competitive obsession. Educators will also “level-set” to what they are comfortable with. This is manifested by the lack of adaption of technology in the majority of schools and the continued teaching methods of Remember & Regurgitate (R&R).

Most of our kids in school today will never have to use R&R to live a complete life. I remember when using a calculator would destroy our brains. How about writing? I understand that studies show that writing helps one remember, however, how of you use pen and paper today. I should ask, how many of you 35 and younger!

I challenge you to go to a school one day and ask how many of the kids are on one drug or another to help them focus so they could get good grades on a test! Then we go off and tell the kids that drugs are no good. If we put this statement through a critical thinking process, what would it tell us?

I challenge you to watch a five-year-old work their parent's phone or their tablet and try to keep up with the RTS that is happening.

There are lots more on the subject of our education system that will come in future editions.

What Can We Do?

We can begin by acknowledging that our youth no longer learns that way we did. We need to identify and acknowledge that RTS is a valuable trait and needs to be harnessed not drugged into submission. This will lead to discomfort and an awareness that there may be a new and better way to do things.

Next, we need to truly embrace RTS in our corporate culture and education system. This can only happen when we realize that organizations are only tapping into a fraction of the potential of their teams, who are now transcending five generations of workers, from Traditionalist to Generation Y, each of which have completely different learning styles, working styles, expectations, and motivations.

It is time?for a new deal. For everyone’s sake, let’s unleash the power of the RTS to create a new era of education, learning, and work. An era where we include all voices… remove the politics… share what we know… expose the risks…change the game… inspire action…free each person to contribute their absolute best, and then discover the amazing outcome together, because there is no better feeling than truly being part of something. This is what it’s?like to be engaged… to revel in our interconnectedness and implement a Mutual Benefit Culture.

Conclusion

Over the past year I have written about AI/Robotics and the potential benefits and negatives to our society. We know that when it to R&R thinking technology can do it faster and cheaper and better than humans. When it comes to critical thinking humans still have a slight advantage that is disappearing by the day. Rapid Thought Switching (RTS) and the ability to incorporate AI/Robotics as part of our team is the only way that humans will remain relevant in the next 100 years.