Paradigm: Provides us a language, a common set of assumptions, and a common set of expectations of what may occur in the future.
Joel Barker
Creative destruction results in new paradigms such as our recent financial meltdown. The Wall Street financial catastrophe in engineering language is called a singularity or a Black Swan risk event that is low probability and high impact. What is a paradigm (pronounced pair-a-dime)? Joel Barker in Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future defines a paradigm as:
… “set of rules and regulations (written or unwritten) that does two things: 1. It establishes or defines boundaries; and 2. It tells you how to behave inside the boundaries in order to be successful.”
The root of paradigm comes from the Greek and means a pattern, model, or rule. A paradigm is the way or pattern we perceive our world. It can mean a world of difference. Fish perceive their world through water. We perceive our world through air. We perceive our value through work.
Paradigm shifts foreshadow larger changes in work rules. What was the right thing to do before may now be wrong. What was the pathway to career success may now be different. What was expressly forbidden may now be acceptable workplace behavior. These shifts are difficult for people who were hired, taught, recognized, promoted, and reinforced for a set of behaviors and skills that are now either unacceptable, or have radically changed.
I believe the recent financial meltdown is a once-in-a-lifetime paradigm shift that will infect our work, career, and jobs for at least the next ten years and maybe even longer. Am I kidding? No!!!
Life Lesson Earned: Start understanding the paradigm shifts that can affect your profession, work, career, and job. All work is changing. Many of my friends are finding opportunities in Asia.