We ask opinions and warnings of our stakeholders, partners, consultants and colleagues… yes, but… we still want everything to be as we wish.
We embrace diversity… yes, but… at the same time, we want to see this diversity in controllable groups, since we want to predict the unpredictable.
We believe that different approaches will result in creativity and efficiency… yes, but… we choose safer, familiar routes in the endless turbulence of the market.
This expression, i.e. “…yes, but…”, has a versatile working principle: The affirmation in the first move immediately comforts the opponent; and the second move, the speaker claims the power back. The following sentences express the first speaker's old experiences to fend off new ideas.
Our experiences are the source of our assumptions and judgments… yes, but… there is a critical difference between the two: Assumption always comes with its dialectical counterpart, i.e., ignoring. If we are thinking hypothetically and cautiously, we can assume the risks pointed out by our experience, and try to imagine a scenario in which we ignore them.
Judgment is rather a final move in thinking. Since many judgments come as a ready-made formula from the social judgment index, not from our own experience, judgement can even be considered as a move that precedes thinking, and renders it unnecessary.
Every time we use the phrase “…yes, but…” are we narrowing or expanding the universe of possibilities? When we say “…yes, but…” do we want to hold on to old experiences or are we looking for a way to see things as they are?
Comments