One of the truisms that has rung true for me over the last while is this:

Do not confuse causation with correlation.

And so, when facing the problems we encounter in organisations, this truism is of vital importance when trying to get to grips with a problem. All too often we make the mistake of infering a causal relationship between factors associated with a problem and then base our strategies on this inference when in fact, there is only a correlation between the factors. Knowing the nuances between these two relationships will be a defining competency for business leaders in the future.

The same will also be true of how we use history in our decision-making.  read more »

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think and act anew.

Thanks Dave.  

Picked up a copy of Newsweek's Issues 2006: The Knowledge Revolution. Some great quotes inside:

The idea that information technology would usher in the new leisure society has receded into the background, for now. The good news: if fear for survival is universal, a lot of worriers have to be wrong.

Richard M. Smith - Newsweek Editor

What I call the "flattening" of the world - the fact that more people from more places have more tools to compete, connect and collaborate than ever before.

Thomas Friedman - Author of The World is Flat

Creative-sector occupations - in science and technology, art and design, culture and entertainment - have grown since 1980 from 12 percent of the workforce to between 30 and 40 percent in most advanced countries today. This makes talent the fundamental factor of production, and attracting such talent the central battle in global competition.

Richard Florida - Author of "The Flight of the Creative Class".

Complaining about globalization is as pointless as trying to turn back the tide. There are, I notice, no such debates in China.

Tony Blair - British Prime Minister