This is what I mean when I say I’m on a mission to bring beauty to business.
For a long time, the advancement of human society has been disproportionately fuelled by quantitative thinking. Specifically, the enormous societal benefits created during (and since) the first Industrial Revolution were largely the result of the invention of various machines that could produce and distribute more stuff faster for relatively lower cost.
The last 300-or-so years have truly been The Age of the Machine. From the steam engine (1700s) to the internet (1900s) right up to present day advancements in artificial intelligence, human existence has benefitted immensely from continued investment in the realm of technology.
Technological advancement has come so far that machines can perform the advanced tasks traditionally reserved for humans and yet significant suffering, conflict, ignorance and misinformation is a daily experience for the average human. Despite the advancements we’ve made and the benefits we’ve gained, it is clear that technology is not the answer to our problems. Or at least not the whole answer.
To quote this 2013 article from The Economist about the “mixed effects” of the Industrial Revolution and the associated disagreements among historians:
“..we need both the number-crunchers and the artsy types if we want to understand the consequences of economic growth.”
It is mention of this “artsy type” that is noteworthy. To me, the “artsy type” is a creative thinker, one who values and looks to qualitative information for insight into a problem. In contrast to cold “number-crunchers” the artsy type seeks to create beautiful solutions.
But as the quote suggests, BOTH the quantitative AND the qualitative aspects of a given problem need to be considered, balanced and integrated in order to develop quality solutions to our problems. It just happens to be that, traditionally, the former has been given far greater attention than the latter.
When I say “I’m on a mission to bring beauty to business” is that I’m dedicating my professional practice to elevating the beautiful, artistic or qualitative side of problem-solving, to balance out the quantitative side, to building businesses that contribute to a happier, healthier society.
In my last article, I explained why I’m glad “machines” are gradually taking over our highly repetitive, predictable, low-skill jobs. AI taking over the most predictable, quant-heavy tasks in our work would allow humans to spend more of our time and energy on tasks that are more ambiguous and creative and therefore more difficult for AI to master such as complex problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.
But this is in stark contrast with modern history.
Until recently, skills related to computation, calculation or what I’ll call “precision thinking” have been the most valued in business. But this is only one half of the success equation. The enormous benefits humans have gained from the advancement in precise calculation have overshadowed and distorted the true value of imagination, exploration, intuition and creativity — the other half of the success equation. Which we now find ourselves in great need of and for years to come.
“Demand for higher cognitive skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, decision making, and complex information processing, will grow through 2030, by 19 percent in the United States and by 14 percent in Europe, from sizeable bases today.” — McKinsey and Company, 2018
“AI cannot predict what a human would do if that human has never faced a similar situation. In this way, AI cannot predict the strategic direction of a company facing a new technology, such as the internet, bioengineering or even AI itself.” — Prediction Machines
In order for AI-and every other tool and resource we are now abundantly equipped with-to be put to proper, productive use, human abilities such as judgement (e.g. assigning value to errors and outcomes) and intuition (navigating unusual or future-framed scenarios) are absolutely required.
By dedicating my professional practice to the elevation of the beautiful side of problem-solving and finding harmony between the two sides of the success equation, I am committed to the continuous development of the skills and abilities that will advance my practice.
These are skills and abilities related to judgement and decision-making; to imagination and creativity; to qualitative research and analysis; to leadership, and teamwork; to emotional management and expression; to play and humour; to community empowerment and civic engagement.
