Tag Archives: context

Two Dimensional Thinking

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A two-dimensional thinker sees the world as a polarized place. Who you are and what you believe becomes categorical. It is either one way or the other. These individuals can see facts, but truth eludes them because the facts are generally considered without context.
The problem with two dimensional thinkers is that they skew, or misinterpret, facts in order force them into a two dimensional framework. As a result, they frequently have “the facts”, but do not know, or are misrepresenting, the truth. This is how marketers sell their ideas, products or services. They build context around a set of facts so that the listener’s interpretation is guided to the desired conclusion. As you watch and listen to the world around you, see if you can see this take place.  How much of what you hear is fact and how much is context? Does the context pass the reality test?
Context defines truth by giving facts relevance. Conflict between people is generally the result of two dimensional thinking. This is demonstrated by the win/lose attitude of the conflicting parties. Both sides bend contextual information to fit their argument. Resolution can usually be gained by getting to a win/win attitude, which is based upon the understanding that there is an alternate solution to the conflict that the win/lose mentality cannot see. The alternate solution is typically based upon a more honest contextual framework.
All of this makes two dimensional thinkers less effective in problem resolution, listening and leadership. These areas of human thought require the ability to see things from differing perspectives. The “why” of a situation is just as important as the “What”, and the “why” is generally contextual in nature, not categorical.
Moving beyond two dimensional thinking involves accepting that most words and events in our lives have meanings that are subject to interpretation. We call this perspective.  You have heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” The world looks different from different perspectives.
Seeing the world from different perspectives involves tying facts to context that may be separate from your own reality.  One of the best ways to accomplish this is by listening. Stephen Covey stated it nicely by saying we must “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Understanding is a continuous process, not a categorical one. Try, sometime, to truly listen to someone. Your ears, eyes and mind are open, but your mouth is shut. Allow yourself to evaluate alternate perspectives for the purpose of understanding. This is not about losing your own perspective or replacing it, although that may happen.  It is simply a matter of seeking to see a situation through someone else’s eyes.
Six Sigma, based solely upon statistics, is two dimensional in nature. It tells us the “what” but not the “why”. When contextual information is paired with statistical results, the “why” becomes a part of the dialog. By understanding contextual information, we are able tie causality to defects and improve processes. This way the human element is part of the picture.

Content vs Context

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Whether you are involved in a Six Sigma Project or just talking with friends we are bombarded with information that has two components.  These are content and context. One is raw information about the “what” and the other is supporting information about the “why”.

Here is an example. A young man from Philadelphia shot and killed another man about a year ago.  This is content. The fact that he did this, as a soldier, in a fire fight in Afghanistan is context.  Content, as mentioned above, gives you the raw information and context helps you interpret the content.

When you grasp the importance of the relationship between content and context, you also begin to understand why listening skills are so important. As content information reaches your brain, contextual data is telling you how to interpret it.  As good listener will be critically analyzing the information to determine its believability, relative importance, the deliverer’s purpose, the meaning behind the words and what information is missing.

Marketers use contextual information to try to spin your interpretation of content information on everything from products and services to politics. Knowledge that this is happening and dealing with it appropriately is key to your personal success. Do you remember the Ivory Soap by line that stated that their soap was “99 % Pure”?  This is context without content. The question you should ask is 99% pure what?

In a Six Sigma project, contextual data is critical to drilling down to root causes. For example, simply pointing out that there is an increase in the defect rate of a manufacturing process is the content. Finding out that the defect rate spikes on the midnight shift when it is raining is the context. The drill down process can be represented mathematically as y=f(x)+f(x)+f(x)… . The progression from f(x) to f(x) is accomplished through the use of contextual information.

In sales, content information might be described as what product or service a shopper wants to purchase. Contextual information would be the shopper’s story, their buying motivation, budget and important product or service requirements. What this means is that as a business, you differentiate yourself from your competitors by way of context. The shopper can get the “what” from other sources. Context determines why they should get the product or service from you.