Socrates once said that no theory of error can exist entirely outside a theory of truth. In this spirit, I'd like to suggest that no theory on learning can exist without a theory on unlearning. My theory on unlearning begins with this question: What don't I know?
Own the White Space
August 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
As humans we like to believe we're good at seeing the whole picture. But, as I suggested in this piece, most of us are not. This is particularly true in business. Most managers focus relentlessly on serving the customer, making incremental improvements to core product or services, or finding yet another margin-saving efficiency. There is [...]
Don’t Close Your Mind: Always Question Your Assumptions
July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“We’re going to have to make a lot of different assumptions,” says the head of one large publishing house in this article discussing the imminent demise of Border’s — one of the world’s large bookstores. The individual is, of course, correct but the real question is why he (or she) didn’t begin questioning his assumptions [...]
The Power of Being Wrong
July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Later today, I'm addressing 200 senior executives of the Allina Hospital System in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The topic of my keynote presentation is "Why Future Trends in Healthcare Will Require Unlearning." I'll cover a great many areas but I intend to begin my talk with a discussion about humility. There is, perhaps, no better place to [...]
Doctor Heal Thyself … By Unlearning
June 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
When physicians are asked to state the relative risks of classical predictors of heart disease (such as smoking or diabetes) many, according to this article, are likely to cite a figure of between "10 to 15 times." This is not only wrong, it is dangerously wide of the mark. Most of the predictors have only [...]
