Paradigm Pioneer

Facilitators Guide
Facilitators Guide
Tis facilitators guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the video Discovering Te Future: Paradigm Pioneers. Both the video and
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Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
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Table of Contents
4 Legend
5 About the Author
5 The Discovering the Future Series
5 Section 1: Introduction
6 Benefits of Paradigm Pioneers
7 Uses of Paradigm Pioneers
9 Setting the Stage
10 Suggestions for Leading Discussions
11 Section 2: Warming Up
12 Dealing with Change
12 Understanding Paradigms
14 Paradigm Shifts
16 Leadership in a Paradigm Shift:
The Paradigm Pioneer
18 The Role of the Paradigm Pioneer
18 Section 3: Defining The Roles
20 The Role of the Settler
23 Settler vs. Pioneer
26 The Characteristics of the Paradigm Pioneer
26 Intuition
26 Section 4: Taking A Closer Look
28 The Paradigm Curve
30 Courage
32 Commitment to The Long Term
33 Innovation vs. Pioneering
33 Section 5: Rekindling The
Pioneering Spirit
37 Kaizen
39 Becoming a Paradigm Pioneer Short Discussion
40 Becoming a Paradigm Pioneer Long Discussion
46 The Paradigm Pioneer and the Future
46 Section 6: Limited Time
48 The Paradigm Pioneer
49 The Characteristics of the Paradigm Pioneer
51 Innovation vs. Pioneering
53 Becoming a Paradigm Pioneer
54 Transcript
54 Section 7: Transcript
65 Section 8: Overhead Index
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LEGEND
Indicates questions that are designed to involve the group.
Indicates a brainstorming activity. The questions that follow this activity refer
to the information that the group generates. You may want to list the groups
responses on a blackboard or flipchart for easy referral.
Indicates the use of a specific overhead. Overheads are numbered and can be
found in the back of the manual.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joel Barker is one of the worlds most influential speakers on the subject of the
future. In 1979, Mr. Barker founded a consulting company, Infinity Limited Inc.
His objective was to help companies improve their ability to identify new ideas and
innovations early enough to take advantage of them. Since then he has lectured on
issues concerning the future to over 500,000 people around the world. In 1993, Mr.
Barker was named International Educator of the Year by the International Honorary
and Professional Association in Education Pi Lambda Theta.
THE DISCOVERING THE FUTURE SERIES
Paradigm Pioneers is the third video in the Discovering The Future series.
The DISCOVERING THE FUTURE series focuses on the importance of the future
for both individuals and organizations. In this newest film, Joel Barker introduces
us to a special group of people that drive new paradigms from rough concept into
practicality the Paradigm Pioneers.
Using examples of paradigm pioneering individuals and organizations, the film
explores the characteristics, perceptions, and motivations of paradigm pioneers.
Paradigm Pioneers will help you understand the risks of a settler mentality and
help you rekindle the pioneering spirit in your organization. It is a complement to
the existing two videos: The Business of Paradigms and The Power of Vision.
4 Section 1: Introduction
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4 Section 1: Introduction Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
BENEFITS OF PARADIGM PIONEERS
discovering the future: Paradigm Pioneers helps viewers understand
why some individuals are poised to take advantage of the opportunities created by
paradigm shifs while others merely watch them pass by. Applications are as varied as
the organizations using the program, but common benefts identifed by users include:
Defines how opportunities are generated by paradigm shifts.
Explores why certain individuals can take advantage of paradigm shifting
opportunities and others cannot.
Illustrates the paradigm curve and its relationship to problem solving.
Identifies and discusses the personal characteristics of a paradigm pioneer.
Provides organizations with a new cast of characters (pioneer, settler) and for
each, a set of behavior traits.
Suggests how to improve paradigm pioneering ability.
Stresses the importance of leaving the settler mentality and rekindling the
pioneering spirit in an organization.
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USES OF PARADIGM PIONEERS
Potential uses of Paradigm Pioneers are as varied as the kinds of organizations who
are using this program.
Paradigm Pioneers is suited for any organization that is facing change and innovation.
Organizations facing internal or external change are facing potential paradigm shifts.
Paradigm Pioneers offers a starting point for recognizing and grabbing hold of the
opportunities that paradigm shifts afford. Paradigm Pioneers is an excellent learning
tool for any organization that wants to motivate their staff to be more open to
change or to be greater risk-takers. Paradigm Pioneers serves as an instructional
starting point.
Feedback from organizations that have already purchased and are using Paradigm
Pioneers illustrates the scope of the flms applications and uses. To highlight just a few:
Organizational Development
Expanding or downsizing
Reassuring or reinforcing the pioneers already in place in the organization
Challenging corporate culture to support greater risk- taking
Organizational Planning
Strategic planning needs
Refocusing the vision of the organization
Focusing on Total Quality philosophy
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Staff Development
Changing corporate culture to a proactive environment
Challenging marketing teams to spot the pioneering opportunities
Reinforcing and reassuring R&D and other risk-taking units of
the organization
Motivating employees
Education
Developing new curricular needs
Facing school enrollment fluctuation
Integrating new staff members with veteran staff
Staffing reorganization
Religious and Non-Profit Organizations
Dealing with membership size fluctuation
Raising funds
Building or program implementation
Facing new strategic planning needs or initiatives
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SETTING THE STAGE
It is helpful to set the stage before showing Paradigm Pioneers so the audience
knows what to look for. Following are a few brief suggestions to use prior to showing
the video.
1. Introduce the host of Paradigm Pioneers Joel Barker.
Review the information on Joel Barker given in this facilitators guide and select
the excerpts that will best explain this author to your specific group.
2. Set up the video in the context of the DISCOVERING THE
FUTURE series.
Many in your group may have already seen one of the other films in the
DISCOVERING THE FUTURE series; The Business of Paradigms, or The Power of
Vision. You may want to introduce those who are not familiar with the series to
Mr. Barkers views on the importance of the future and the need to study and
manage change.
3. Introduce Paradigm Pioneers
The primary focus of Paradigm Pioneers is on the high leverage role of paradigm
pioneers, unique individuals who are able to take advantage of opportunities
generated by paradigm shifts. The video will describe these individuals, explain
what characteristics they have in common, and will examine the impact they have
had on the world.
4. What to look for in the video.
Who are the paradigm pioneers?
What do paradigm pioneers do?
What makes paradigm pioneers see the world differ ently and use that
to their advantage?
What can an individual do to become a paradigm pioneer?
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SUGGESTIONS FOR LEADING DISCUSSIONS
1. Bring a fresh perspective. Preview the video before you show it.
If you have seen it before, watch it again. The power of the message endures
many viewings.
2. Personally welcome as many people as possible before the program.
3. Honor each person in the audience with your undivided attention and
interest from the beginning to the end of the program.
4. Talk with people, not to them. When they speak, listen with your eyes and
your mind. People can tell if you are present.
5. If you ask a question, allow time for someone to answer. If you are patient
and welcoming a response, someone will respond.
6. Involve the group as much as possible in answering questions that come up
during the discussion. Hold your own answers as a back-up.
7. Remain open and flexible. The discussion may have an exciting turn you had
not considered.
8. Let the viewers decide for themselves what was impor tant about the video.
Save your personal insights for emphasizing, validating, clarifying, and
summarizing.
9. Make a mental note of important points. Look for opportunities to relate
back to those points as the discussion progresses with others. Credit the
person for the insight.
10. Learn with your audience. Come with a beginners mind, open to
new possibilities.
11. Come with a ready ear. Nothing keeps a discussion moving better than
when people are being heard and they sense your genuine interest in what
they are saying.
12. Understand your role. It is important and it has one purpose: to lead people
to their own discovery of the message in Paradigm Pioneers, and how it can
positively impact their lives, their company, and their future.
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THE PARADIGM PIONEER AND THE FUTURE
Begin the discussion with the groups freshest memory from the video Joel Barkers
last lines.
How do you react to this statement? What does this mean to you?
Would a paradigm pioneer react differently than you to this statement?
Barker states that the paradigm pioneer sees the horizon as a challenge and as a point
of reference, but not as a final destination. In fact, paradigm pioneers see the future
as something to move to, and then beyond.
Do you agree with this perception of the future?
#1
What is special about the future?
We may run out of today, but well never run out of tomorrow.
There will always be a new idea to make the world a
better place.
4 Section 2: Warming Up
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4 Section 2: Warming Up Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
DEALING WITH CHANGE
Joel Barker acknowledges that some people seem to deal with change better than
others. These people seem prepared for the changes and innovations that are coming
faster every day.
Generate a list of people and organizations that seem to have adjusted easily
to change, and a list of those who have not.
What did they do that caused you to put them on these lists?
Can you see any common reasons or linkages between the people and
organizations youve placed on these lists?
UNDERSTANDING PARADIGMS
(If your audience has questions about the concept of paradigms and paradigm shifts,
the following review may be helpful.)
#2
Paradigms are about patterns of behavior and the rules and
regulations we use to construct those patterns.
We use those patterns first to establish boundaries, and then to
direct us on how to solve problems.
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Joel Barker maintains that during the past 20 years the concept of the paradigm shift
has become a key ingredient in understanding change.
Thomas Kuhn first described the concept of paradigms in his book The Structure of
Scientific Revolutions, explaining how science moved from one pattern or model of
reality to another.
Building off Kuhns key concept, Joel Barker has explored the impact of paradigms
on society, organizations and individuals.
Explaining that everyone sees the world through paradigms, through the rules and
regulations that we hold, Joel Barker has repeatedly taught that paradigms constantly
filter reality and can blind organizations to new ideas and creative solutions.
Barker stresses that individuals and organizations use paradigms first to
establish boundaries and then to direct us on how to solve problems that lie
inside those boundaries.
#3
Synonyms for Paradigms
Theory Model
Protocols Patterns
Methodologies Routines
Habit Common Sense
Customs Rituals
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Looking at this list of synonyms for paradigms,
List a few of the paradigms that exist in our society Examples: sports, cooking,
eating habits, laws
How have we used these sets of rules to solve problems?
PARADIGM SHIFTS
Barker feels that understanding how paradigms influence our thinking helps people
approach problems in fundamentally new ways.
Once we understand how our paradigms influence our perceptions of the world
around us, we begin to see why we miss important data that will shape the future.
And once we realize that, we can begin to actively correct our misperceptions.
A paradigm shif begins when the rules change as a result of an individual discovering
a new pattern for problem solving, whether with an innovation or a new idea.
#4
as a result of the paradigm shift, the standard way of doing
business can become obsolete or irrelevant.
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Barker stresses that changing a paradigm means fundamentally altering the way
things are done.
Due to these people and their ideas, what became obsolete or was made
irrelevant?
How did people react to these changes? Were they always welcomed?
Can you identify what paradigm shifts, if any, have occurred in your company,
field, organization?
How did people react to these changes? Why?
#5
Paradigm Shifters
Charles Goodyear Vulcanized Rubber
George Eastman Celluloid Photography
G. Washington Carver Use of Peanuts
Alexander Graham Bell Telephone
Chester Carlson Xerox Machine
Edwin Land Polaroid Camera
Stephanie Kwolek Kevlar
Jack Kilby Integrated Electronic Circuit
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LEADERSHIP IN A PARADIGM SHIFT:
THE PARADIGM PIONEER
People who discover the new rules are a crucial first element in the process of
changing paradigms. These people are called paradigm shifters.
Joel Barker describes their role as the most challenging in the human drama. But,
he assures us, in order to survive and flourish in the future, we do not all need to
become paradigm shifters.
Barker uses the metaphor of the American pioneer to illustrate the development of a
paradigm shift. A successful paradigm shift will require the work and talents of many
people each playing different roles, and contributing different skills.
#6
What if you could anticipate the future like paradigm pioneers do?
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What answers can you provide for this question?
Be as specific as possible for your organization. Joel Barker sees the paradigm pioneer
as the pivotal role in the development of the paradigm shift, and he believes it is the
role of the paradigm pioneer that will separate a successful organization from an
unsuccessful one in the future.
#7
The pioneers pathway is a pathway of intuition and courage;
a long pathway that by its very nature will always seem risky.
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THE ROLE OF THE PARADIGM PIONEER
The paradigm shifter, for all their intuitive genius and flash of insight, often does
not have the resources or the business savvy to propel the process any further.
Joel Barker uses the term paradigm pioneer to describe those individuals who come
into the picture on the heels of the paradigm shifter.
Barker asserts that without the paradigm pioneer, the new paradigm will emerge
slowly if at all.
The paradigm shifter visualizes the new idea, while the paradigm pioneer makes the
vision a reality.
What traits would you associate with each?
Examples: Paradigm Shifter: an outsider, new to the industry, isolated, less
constrained by boundaries, may not be a good listener, naive.
Paradigm Pioneer: may respect old paradigm more than the
paradigm shifter, understands success and how to gain it, capable
of expanding new ideas.
How are they similar? Different?
#8
The Role of the Paradigm Pioneer
4 Section 3: Defning the Roles
4 Section 3: Defning the Roles Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
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Barker describes the paradigm pioneer as the individual who, without
waiting for the full picture or all the details, realizes the importance of
the opportunity at hand and drives the new paradigm from concept to
application.
What do you think Barker meant by Drives the new paradigm from rough
concept into practical application?
Can you give examples from your own organization where, after sharing about
a new idea or concept, someone else pioneered the idea?
#9
Drives the new paradigm from rough concept into practical
application.
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THE ROLE OF THE SETTLER
The role of the paradigm pioneer is also very different from that of the settler:
Given the importance of the paradigm pioneer, the question can be asked, is there a
role for the settler within an organization?
Barker says absolutely yes.
Settlers are the people, internal to the organization, who do all the refinements after
the paradigm pioneer has driven the concept to practicality.
It is the settlers who fill in the missing details, find the niche opportunities and
provide the organization needed to refine the paradigm and its rules. They play a
crucial role in completing the development of a new paradigm.
#10
The Place of the Settler in the Pioneering
Organization
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How do you react to that statement? Do you read that quote to say there is
risk, or that it will appear risky?
Is there a difference between the two? How would a paradigm pioneer answer
that question?
Why?
#11
The pioneers pathway is one of intuition and courage;
one that by its very nature will seem risky.
#12
Although pioneers are traditionally seen as high risk takers,
Barker believes, in the 21st century, it will be the settlers who
are at high risk.
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The settlers of the 21st century are those organizations who allow themselves to
develop a settler mentality. Settler organizations wait for the numbers, pioneering
organizations generate the numbers.
But, while pioneers do fail, there is a trade-off in the risk factors. Barker warns
organizations and individuals to be aware of what he calls the settler mentality:
The need to be assured that it is safe out there
The need to have enough data to support decisions so they dont
seem risky.
What kinds of data do settler organizations need before they make
decisions?
Relate examples where in your organization you wished you could move, but
others asked for the complete data first.
What was the outcome?
#13
Beware The Settler Mentality
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Barker reminds us there can be no numbers until the pioneers generate them.
The major difference between a paradigm pioneer and a settler is that the paradigm
pioneer will trust and rely on their intuitive judgments. They will make what seem to
be insupportable decisions involving great risks.
But the pioneers will know, intuitively, that the decision is sound and the risks are
acceptable for the rate of return. Pioneers will take action on these decisions and gain
a huge lead on the competition.
Make a list of organizations who are surrounded by change but refused to
alter their practices or product to meet the changing times.
What happened to these organizations?
Examples: GM, Sears & Roebuck, IBM
Make a list of organizations who reacted quickly to changes.
What happened to these organizations?
What was different between your examples? Products, people,
organizational styles?
Can you learn something from these two lists?
SETTLER VS. PIONEER
What do you see as the key difference between a pioneer and a settler?
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For Joel Barker, a key difference between pioneers and settlers is the ability and
desire to take risks in view of the level of return and reward.
Do you agree with this assessment?
#14
PIONEERS SETTLERS
High risk takers Low risk takers
Generate the numbers Demand the numbers
Make it safe Wait till it is safe
#15
Motivation
Pioneer vs. Settler
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What is it that motivates a pioneer? A settler?
What are the differences between the motivations of each?
Examples:
Pioneer need to face a challenge, willingness to try, belief in self and in new idea
Settler safety issues come first, desire to understand fully before making decision,
need for clearly defined reality.
What are the expectations of the pioneer? The settler?
What are the differences between the expectations of each?
Examples:
Pioneers wont have all the answers, anticipate hard going for long time,
unlimited rewards
Settler relative safety and security, limitedbut new rewards, easier
transition than for pioneers
#16
Expectations
Pioneer vs. Settler
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THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PARADIGM
PIONEER
After examining the role of the paradigm pioneer, the next question is: what allows a
paradigm pioneer to undertake actions that others do not what is the nature of the
paradigm pioneer?
Barker asserts that paradigm pioneers are pioneers of time, not place. Not of
geography, but chronology. Paradigm pioneers are unique individuals who share
three distinctive characteristics:
INTUITION
What words do you associate with intuition?
Examples: act of faith, seat-of-the-pants decision, gut level decision, decision of
the heart
From your personal experience, can you cite examples of people who have
experienced a flash of intuition?
#17
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PARADIGM PIONEER
Intuition
Courage
Commitment to the Long Term
4 Section 4: Taking a Closer Look
4 Section 4: Taking a Closer Look Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
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Barker maintains that intuition is not guesswork. He repeatedly stresses that the
paradigm pioneers knew when an idea was a significant, true concept.
How would you differentiate between a flash of intuition and intuitive
judgment?
How does one measure the truth of intuitive judgment?
You can practice your intuitive judgment by consciously making decisions early,
recording them and then measuring against the outcomes. If your intuition was right,
your trust level of your intuitive judgment is validated and enhanced.
Barker maintains that pioneers have a consistency in their use of intuitive judgment
that others lack. Intuitive judgment can be seen over and over in the actions of the
paradigm pioneer.
#18
THE PARADIGM CURVE
Problems
Solved
Time
A
C
B
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THE PARADIGM CURVE
The Paradigm Curve illustrates the ability to solve problems over time.
Joel Barker says the paradigm pioneer enters early on the paradigm curve when there
is very little data to help solve problems, or prove the new paradigm is a good or
workable idea.
An early entry on the paradigm curve can label a paradigm pioneer as a high
risk taker. Do you agree or disagree with this perception?
What motivates a paradigm pioneer to take actions that are seen as high risks?
Many will say that intuitive judgement is merely luck. However, these people would
be misunderstanding how paradigm pioneers weigh the risk factors.
Can you give examples from your own life or organization of people that seem to
have taken great risks?
How do they portray these decisions?
#19
Intuition is the ability to make good decisions with incomplete
information.
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Why would one person see an action as a high risk and another person see
the same action as a medium or low risk?
Has there been a time in your life when you knew something but didnt act?
Discuss these I knew it stories.
When actions are weighed against potential returns, the trade-of point ofen changes.
Can you suggest strategies that would help an indi vidual or an organization
compare the relative risks and relative returns of an action?
Can you suggest ways that you as an individual or as an organization could
encourage greater risk taking behavior?
Would you want to lower all risks for these individuals or lower certain kinds
of risks? i.e. marketing, technology?
Barker points out that paradigm pioneers tend to see failure as a learning experience
or process. For them, often not acting is worse than acting and failing.
How do you respond to this statement?
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COURAGE
Even with great intuition, many people will still not become paradigm
pioneers. Why not?
Barker reminds us that if paradigm pioneers needed to justify a decision with facts,
they would never have enough data
So, what is it that enables a paradigm pioneer to undertake a seemingly risky course
of action so early on the paradigm curve, and with so little information?
Courage is the enabling characteristic that allows the paradigm pioneer to act upon
their intuition.
#20
Courage is the second essential attribute of a paradigm pioneer;
It is the willingness to move forward in the face of great risk.
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How is Nucor Steel an example of courage?
Background on Nucor Steel:
The greatest steel makers in the world had tried and failed to do thin
slab casting
Nucor spent $200 million putting up a new factory for this untried process
Nucor hired Indiana fanners to run the new process no previous experience
in steel making
Can you cite other examples in your organization where pioneers
demonstrated courage?
What might be the consequences if a paradigm pioneer did not undertake
these high risk actions? Why does a paradigm pioneer use his courage to
follow his intuition?
Barker reminds us that there are some rewards a paradigm pioneer will have that
others may not understand
#21
If you have a pioneers courage, you too will find a rock some-
where on which to carve your name
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COMMITMENT TO THE LONG TERM
The third characteristic of the paradigm pioneer.
Paradigm pioneers understand how much time it takes to go from a rough concept
to a working paradigm and are willing to invest their time and resources.
Can you think of examples of people who have labored a long time to bring
their concept into reality?
Examples:
Carlson Xerox process for 20 years
Ray Kroc McDonalds for 5 years
Nucor Thin slab casting of steel for 10 years
JVC Video recorders for 25 years
How can your organization assist a person to become committed to the long
term?
What are the essential elements of the paradigm pioneer?
#22
Intuition
Courage
#23
Trust your intuitive judgements
Have the courage to take the risk
Commit to the long term
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INNOVATION VS. PIONEERING
Joel Barker maintains while changes and innovations are coming faster every day,
the risks of not staying close to the leading edge are also increasing. Even now, those
organizations that know how to pioneer are gaining huge leverage over those who
do not. He explores this claim by examining innovations vs. pioneering in the
U.S. and Japan.
Barker points out that it is the United States that has the highest rate of creating new
paradigms.
But it is Japan who has been best at paradigm pioneering.
Do you agree or disagree with Barkers observation? What would account for this?
Begin to compare the differences between innovation and pioneering and between
Japan and the U.S.
What words would you associate with the creation of an innovation?
#24
United States : best at creating new paradigms
Japan : best at paradigm pioneering
4 Section 5: Rekindling the Pioneering Spirit
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4 Section 5: Rekindling the Pioneering Spirit Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
What words would you associate with the development or pioneering of
an innovation?
Are there cultural traits in Japan that would account for the pioneering list?
Are there cultural traits in the U.S. that would account for the innovation list?
Can either culture change their attitudes?
Can skill at innovation be learned?
Can a pioneering spirit be fostered?
What would the future be like if both nations became infinitely better at
both skills?
What would the future be like if only one nation became expert at both skills?
Barker lists the following as examples of paradigm pioneering done by Japan:
#25
The Japanese pioneered these U.S. innovations:
Videotape Recording Fax Machines
Fuzzy Logic Active Matrix Flat Screen
Total Quality
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Can you expand this list where the U.S. came up with the idea and other
countries did the pioneering?
Can you expand this list where one country came up with the idea and other
countries did the pioneering?
Note: The U.S. was one of the leading pioneering nations during the Industrial
Revolution while Great Britain was the prime innovator. Example: the cotton gin.
The video points out that many people and businesses in the U.S. have a tendency to
feel that the Japanese have stolen other peoples ideas or work.
But Barker reminds us that paradigm pioneers dont start with somebodys finished
ideas. Pioneers enter early on the paradigm curve and then drive the new paradigm
from concept to practice.
#26
The Japanese pioneered these innovations from
other countries:
Quartz watches from Switzerland
Diamond coatings from the Soviet Union
Compact music discs from the Netherlands
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This early entry allows organizations who are paradigm pioneers to gain leverage
over those who are not.
How would an organization which has a paradigm pioneering attitude gain
leverage over one who does not?
How could you assess if an organization has a paradigm pioneering attitude?
What behaviors or clues would you look for? Examples: These organizations
may have:
a fair number of radical ideas and failures
top leadership who have been paradigm pioneers and serve as models
financial incentives in place to encourage risk takers
Dont Forget: PIONEERS DO FAIL
#27
THE PARADIGM CURVE
Problems
Solved
Time
A
C
B
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KAIZEN
Barker points out that in addition to paradigm pioneering, the Japanese have
adopted the Deming and Juran concept of Total Quality.
A change as small as 1 /10 of one percent will still yield significant results.
From your personal experience, can you find examples of kaizen? In an
organization, in society, in your own life?
Can you list examples of organizations that have rejected changes even when
such changes appeared beneficial?
Examples: Sonys improvements to the Walkman: Reduced the size, reduced
the power requirements, added a rechargeable battery, added two headphone
jacks, made it water resistant, added increased fidelity, reduced the cost of
manufacturing, increased its reliability.
#28
Kaizen
Every day you must find some small way to improve an aspect
of your product or service and the process by which it is created
and delivered.
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Kaizen is continuously improving every aspect of the product or process by some
small increment every day.
Therefore, when an organization practices kaizen, it moves up the paradigm curve
much faster than without it.
Can you think of examples of companies who have both pioneered an idea
and used kaizen?
Examples: Ford with the Taurus Motorola with mobile telephones It becomes
very difficult to catch a paradigm pioneering organization that practices
continuous improvement.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What impact does this idea
have on your organization? Your life?
Remember: When the settler asks a pioneering organization if it is safe out there,
The pioneer answers yes, but there is nothing left for you.
#29
Kaizen changes the slope of your paradigm curve.
Problems
Solved
Time
A
C
B
Kaizen
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BECOMING A PARADIGM PIONEER
SHORT DISCUSSION
Divide the group and ask each team to generate ideas on how to explore each of
these in more detail.
#30
FORMULA
Paradigm Pioneering
+
Continuous Improvement
=
Never give the settler an even break!
#31
Get outside your borders
Break your own rules of past success
Develop new reading habits
Be ready for failure
Listen! Listen! Listen!
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List at least 5 suggestions on how to further each of these ideas.
List the barriers that an individual or an organization could run into that may
halt that individuals progress.
What could the individual do to combat these?
Who could help you to move beyond these barriers?
Having thought of the potential barriers before they occur will allow the individual
to become more proactive and will ultimately make you a more successful
paradigm pioneer.
LONG DISCUSSION
Lets look at Joel Barkers suggestions on becoming a paradigm pioneer with an
eye on how each of us can help ourselves and others become better paradigm
pioneers. During this process, begin to think how individuals or organizations can
build a paradigm pioneering team.
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Inventory
When it comes to building a team for successful paradigm pioneering, you need to
find out where each member currently is on their own paradigm curve.
Taking Joel Barkers recommendations for becoming a paradigm pioneer, start a
personal and group inventory on each of these points:
How many of you have visited another company or another industry working
on similar products or technologies?
How many of you have left the country and gone outside our culture?
Who has traveled outside the country to visit other industries or
organizations?
In each situation, give some examples of what you learned. How was what you
learned received back home?
List examples of where previous rules have been bro ken in your own
organization.
Where have you seen other people break the rules and do it well? In your
industry, competitor companies, your company, etc.
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Change your Reading Habits
List the periodicals you read daily, weekly, monthly.
List the periodicals you feel you should read, but seldom do.
Why are these things on each list?
Are there common reasons for the items on each list?
List periodicals you would not normally pick up to read because they seem
totally unrelated to your field and interests.
Can you determine any way in which these items may help you?
Note: For a prolonged or multi-part meeting arrangement.
Assign members to read at least two periodicals from their list and report back
Did this information relate to or have an impact on your organization?
Where there any surprises?
Remember, often you will have to do a great deal of unrelated reading before you see
emerging relationships or a pattern.
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Panning for Gold: Be Prepared to Fail
Paradigm pioneers see failure as a learning experience or process. Organizations who
share this attitude tend to be pioneering organizations.
What happens to someone who tries and fails in your organization?
Is there someone in your own organization who failed while trying to pioneer
an idea?
how did the organization respond to this failure?
what did you learn from watching this situation?
how did this failure affect their next project?
How could you encourage team members to take more risks?
What kind of support can you provide in case of failures?
Listen! Listen!! Listen!!!
Caution: This exercise can get into sensitive areas by identifying specific people
within an organization and others perceptions of them. You as the facilitator are
in the best place to judge the worth of this exercise and handle with care. This
exercise is important because it can identify who puts up settler roadblocks
to decisions within an organization, as well as the major supports for the
pioneer. Both pieces of information are crucial if you want to be a pioneering
organization.
Are there people you would seek information or advice from if you had a new
idea in your personal life? In your organization?
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Why would you choose these people?
Are there people whom you would seldom approach for information or advice
about a new idea in your personal life? in your organization?
Why wouldnt you approach these people?
Consider enlarging your network of support and information sources when starting
to develop new ideas.
Dont forget that while you are challenging your horizontal boundaries, there are
also vertical boundaries.
Vertical Boundaries
Asking your superiors in the organization is somewhat routine. Dont forget those in
junior and entry level positionstheir perspective can be unique.
Chronological Boundaries
Dont forget that most of us work with individuals who are similar to us in age and life
experience; actively look for individuals who are 15, 20, 30 years older and younger.
See what the world looks like from their perspective.
By consulting or listening to others outside your traditional boundaries, you
challenge your paradigms and move further along on your own paradigm
curve. The pathway of the paradigm pioneer is opening for you!
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Note: For a prolonged or multi-part meeting arrangement
Assign members to approach at least two people from exercise above and then report
on this experience.
Did you find yourself being surprised at the insight or approach that these
sources had?
Did their information start you thinking in a different direction?
Remember that the pioneers pathway is one of intuition and courage; a pathway
that by its very nature will always seem risky.
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To help in situations where group discussion time is limited, the following are
selected questions and visuals that will allow the group to discuss the entire film
with a short series ofcjuestions and activities.
Facilitators should feel free to select additional follow-up questions from the rest of
the video guide to create whatever depth of discussion is appropriate for their groups.
THE PARADIGM PIONEER AND THE FUTURE
Begin the discussion with the audiences freshest memory from the video Joei
Barkers last lines.
How do you react to this statement?
What does this mean to you?
Would a paradigm pioneer react differently than you to this statement?
Barker feels that understanding how paradigms influence our thinking helps people
approach problems in fundamentally new ways.
Changing a paradigm means fundamentally altering the way things are done.
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better place.
4 Section 6: Limited Time
4 Section 6: Limited Time Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
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UNDERSTANDING PARADIGM SHIFTS
A paradigm shift begins when the rules change as result of an individual discovering
a new pattern for problem solving, whether with an innovation or a new idea.
As a result of the paradigm shift, the standard way of doing business can become
obsolete or irrelevant.
Due to these people and their ideas, what became obsolete or was made
irrelevant?
How did people react to these changes? Were they always welcomed?
Can you identify what paradigm shifts, if any, have occurred in your company,
field, organization?
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Paradigm Shifters
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Joel Barker assures us we do not have to create the new rules, a paradigm shift, to be
successful in the future. Rather, we must understand the role of a special group of
people who drive the new paradigm from rough concept to practical application: the
paradigm pioneers.
THE PARADIGM PIONEER
What do you think Barker meant by drives the new paradigm from rough
concept into practical application?
Examples: Capacity to set up an organization Knows how to take research into
production development Knows how to conduct and act on market research
Can you give examples from your own organization where, after hearing about
a new idea or concept, someone else pioneered the idea?
The paradigm pioneer is an individual who without waiting for the full picture, or
all the details, realizes the importance of the opportunity.
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application.
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THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PARADIGM
PIONEER
What is it that sets these paradigm pioneers apart from others? They seem to share
three distinctive characteristics:
How does each of these characteristics enable the paradigm pioneer to take
action?
How do these characteristics interact with each other?
Does one characteristic seem to be the most important?
Just as with calling intuitive judgment merely luck, some people may misunderstand
how paradigm pioneers weigh the risk factors.
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Intuition
Courage
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How do you react to that statement?
Do you read that quote to say that there is a risk, or that it will appear risky?
Although pioneers are traditionally seen as high risk takers, Barker believes that in
the 21st Century, it will be the settlers who are at high risk.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
If there are risks in paradigm pioneering, there are also real benefits. Even now, those
organizations that know how to pioneer are gaining huge leverage over those who
do not.
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How would your organization be different? Be as specific as possible for
your organization.
INNOVATION VS. PIONEERING
Joel Barker points out that it is the United States that has the highest rate of
innovation and creating new paradigms. But recently, it is Japan who has been best at
paradigm pioneering.
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Do you agree or disagree with this observation?
What factors within each culture would explain this?
What would the future be like if both nations became infinitely better at both
skills? If only one nation became better at both?
It becomes difficult, if not impossible, to catch a pioneering organization who
practices continuous improvement. Pioneering and Kaizen have given Japan a
powerful formula.
How do you react to this statement?
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FORMULA
Paradigm Pioneering
+
=
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List at least five suggestions on how to further each of these ideas.
List the barriers that an individual or organization could run into that may
halt the individuals progress.
What could the individual do to combat these?
Who could help you to move beyond these barriers?
Having thought of the potential barriers before they occur will allow the individual
to become more proactive and will ultimately make you a more successful
paradigm pioneer.
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TRANSCRIPT
Discovering the Future: Paradigm Pioneers
Copyright 1993, Joel A. Barker
Opening Campfire
Around the world, across the centuries, men and women, family and friends, leaders
and followers have gazed into the fames and dreamed of the future. Teir dreams came
at all scales: something to get through the winter, something to change the world for
the betterand their dreams have come and gone. Some have stayed forever fantastical,
and others have become real and altered the course of human history.
Each change triggered cascades of other changesnew trends, new innovations
that have made the future significantly different from that which was originally
dreamed in front of the fire.
For many people, these changes have caused great frustration because just as they are
mastering the tricks of the most recent change, the next change arrives, fresh from
the future, and then another, and another. Its enough to wear you out.
Joels Office
So is it any wonder so many of us develop a resistance to change? And yet there
are people who have learned somehow to deal with these changes. They move from
one to another with ease and even grace. What do they know that enables them to
prepare for these changes before you and I? And what would it mean for you and
your organization if you could improve your ability to anticipate the future like
these people seem to do?
My name is Joel Barker. Since 1974 my work has focused on how to discover the
future. Id like you to come along with me now to discover how you can become
better at anticipating those changes and innovations that are coming faster every
day. And not just the large changes that alter the face of entire industries but the
small changes, too, which nevertheless make a big difference in our own lives.
4 Section 7: Transcript
4 Section 7: Transcript Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
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Here in the files of the U.S. Patent Office is the proof of the power of new
paradigms: Charles Goodyear, vulcanized rubber; George Eastman, celluloid
photography; George Washington Carver and his amazing use of peanuts; Alexander
Graham Bell and the telephone; Chester Carlson and the Xerox machine; Edwin
Land and the Polaroid camera; Jack Kilby and the integrated electronic circuit;
Stephanie Kwolek, Kevlar. Each of these people patented a paradigm shift.
During the past 20 years the concept of the paradigm shift has become a key
ingredient in understanding change. Paradigms are about patterns of behavior and
the rules and regulations we use to construct those patterns.
We use the patterns first to establish boundariesin our lives, in our jobs, in our
professions, in our organizations and then to direct us on how to solve problems
that lie inside those boundaries.
In almost all cases we measure our lifes success by our ability to solve problems
within our paradigms. In science, in business, in politics, in education, in our lives
changing a paradigm means fundamentally altering the way things are done.
These people who discovered the new rules are a crucial first element in the process
of changing paradigms. Through their new paradigms they create for all of us new
ways to solve important problems. Sometimes their paradigms allow us to solve
previously unsolvable problems, and often, as a result of the paradigm shift, the
standard ways of doing business become obsolete.
Think of what the transistor did to the vacuum rube, or photo-lithography did to
linotype, or the quartz watch to the mechanical watch, or Federal Express to Special
Delivery, and what total quality is doing to total quantity.
Looking back at how these changes erased previous patterns of success, you may
rightfully wonder, Is my organization doomed to extinction if we dont discover
the next paradigm shift? Does the future belong to only those people who create the
next paradigm?
Joels Office
The answer to those questions is a resounding No! You do not have to create the
new rules in order to be successful if you understand the role of a special group
of people who are crucial in driving the new paradigm from rough concept into
practical application.
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Paradigm shifters rarely bring their new paradigms into the world all by
themselves. In almost every case they need this group of people. A group of people so
important that without them the new paradigm will emerge slowly, if at all. A group
of people willing to accept high risks in order to open the new way.
On the plainsnear Jackson Hole, WY
I call them Paradigm Pioneers. The pioneering tradition exists in almost every
culture on earth. Perhaps its most famous version occurred during the 19th century
in the United States of America. It is this version were going to use to illustrate our
points. It was across the plains and through those mountains that the pioneers of the
American west went. They came from all over the world to open the territory. And
after they were successful, they were followed by the settlers. I think we all know the
difference between a pioneer and a settler. Its always the settler whos calling out over
the horizon, Is it safe out there now? And the voice calling back Sure its safe out
there! is the pioneer, because the pioneer went out first and made it safe. People
of the pioneering spirit are almost always in the first wave, because they recognize
the new and the better before anybody else does. And yet, because they are first, the
pioneers are considered high risk takers, and the settlers, because they go out later,
are considered low risk takers.
In the 21st century, I believe it will be the settlers who are at high risk, and if you
want, from here on out, not just to survive but thrive, you had better be ready to do
some pioneering.
Joels Office
To understand why I say that, we need to explore the nature of the paradigm
pioneer. Remember that when we talk about paradigm pioneering, we are not
talking about pioneers of place, but pioneers of time. Not of geography, but of
chronology. Not of east and west, but of past and future, and what we have to
understand is this: in order to get all the advantages of the next paradigm shift, you
do not have to be the paradigm shifter. But you do have to be a paradigm pioneer.
McDonalds Museum
Lets start with an example. This is a reconstruction of the first McDonalds that Ray
Kroc built in 1955. It is now kind of a national landmark here in Des Plaines, Illinois,
a suburb northwest of Chicago. Now Ray Kroc didnt invent McDonalds. It was the
McDonald brothers who did that in 1948. But Ray Kroc was a paradigm pioneer. He
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looked at what those two brothers were doing in San Bernadino, California, and
he saw a whole new continent of opportunity. He didnt invent the rules, but he
understood how far he could take them.
In Mr. Krocs behavior we see perfectly illustrated three key characteristics of the
paradigm pioneer. First, in spite of the fact that there was not nearly enough data to
prove it, Ray Kroc knew that the McDonalds concept was a big idea. We are going to
explore what it means to know something in that way.
Second, he had the guts to act on what he believed to be true. For paradigm pioneers
this represents a special kind of courage, and we need to understand that, too.
And third, Ray Kroc realized he was in it for the long haul. He knew it would take
time and perseverance to bring the idea to fruition, and with time as his test, he
proved to be right.
Let us now examine in detail these characteristics of the paradigm pioneer.
On the plainsat the wagon
We will start with that special kind of knowing that paradigm pioneers have. Ray
Kroc had it. To explain it, Id like to draw you a kind of map. Pioneers used maps all
the time. But because they were first in, their maps were full of unknowns. Settlers
always waited for maps loaded with details. Remember when I said paradigms help
us solve problems? Well, I want to draw you a graph, which is a kind of map, to
illustrate a paradigm doing that.
The horizontal axis will be time. The vertical axis is problems solved. New
paradigms start about here. The paradigm shifter solves a couple of problems by
breaking the old rule, and then just begins to create the new rules. This is still very
rough. Development then goes like this, slowly at first, because you cant solve
problems rapidly until you really understand the rules. Then faster and faster as you
gain mastery over the paradigm and you discover a whole continent of problems
waiting to be solved. And then finally, slower and slower as all you have left to deal
with are the most difficult problems remaining of the paradigm.
Phase A, hase B, phase C. Where along this line does the paradigm pioneer show up?
Here. In middle to late A or early B phase. Now ask yourself, how much data is there
at this point to prove that this new paradigm is going to solve a lot of problems?
Remember, none of the rest of this exists yet. The answer is, never enough. So how
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does the paradigm pioneer know its the right idea? They use a much misunderstood
judgment skill call intuition.
Joels Office
Intuition is the ability to make good decisions with incomplete information. Let
me say that again. Intuition is the ability to make good decisions with incomplete
information. In a sense, it was the same concept Thomas Kuhn was talking about in
his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions when he talked about the act of
faith.
What that means is that if you have to justify a decision with facts, you never have
enough. When you come to the fork in the road where you have to decide whether to
continue on down the old pathway using the old paradigm, or turn away from it and
take the new, you will never have enough information to prove that you are right in
taking the new way. Lets return to that McDonalds example.
McDonalds Restaurant
What did Ray Kroc know about the McDonald brothers hamburger stands before
he flew out to San Bernadino in 1954? Only that they were using a lot of multi-
mixers. Remember, he was 52 years old, he was a very successful business man, He
had a lot to lose. And yet it took him just one and a half days to decide to become
the national franchiser for the McDonald brothers. How did he make such a major
life decision in less than 36 hours? He had a paradigm pioneers intuitive feeling that
it was right.
What is so impressive is that he didnt just pioneer a new company, he pioneered an
entire industry. Dozens of companies have followed in his footsteps to provide fast,
inexpensive food, in clean, convenient settings. To those watching him in 1954 Ray
Krocs decision may have looked frivolous, but history has now substantiated his
brilliant intuition.
Joels Office
If youre a paradigm pioneer, you know youre doing the right thing. Your intuitive
judgement tells you so. When the settlers ask, Is it safe out there? what theyre
really asking for is data, problems solved, proof that there is no risk in their adopting
the new paradigm. Who generates that data? The pioneers.
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Some people look at Ray Kroc, or Tom Watson of IBM, or Fred Smith of Federal
Express, or Akio Morita of Sony, of Sam Walton of Wal-Mart, or the other paradigm
pioneers of the world and say, Oh they were just lucky. They were at the right place
at the right time. I say to you, they used their intuitive judgement to determine if
their pioneering idea was good or not. Those people who do not understand or who
do not trust the idea of intuition can only explain the pioneers success in terms of
luck. It was intuition.
Intuition alone, however, is not enough to make a paradigm pioneer. Weve all run
into those people with good intuition who tell us, Oh, I knew about that five years
ago. You know they always seem to have those whiney voices. So why didnt you do
something about that? Isnt that the question wed like to ask them? And yet, theyll
hardly ever answer it honestly because the reason they didnt do something was no
guts.
Independence Rock, WY
Courage is a second essential attribute of the paradigm pioneer, the willingness
to move forward in the face of great risk. Think of the courage it took to cross
that great emptiness. To mark their courage, it became a tradition for many of the
pioneers to stop at the one-third point on their journey on the Oregon trail and
carve their names into the granite of this lonely sentinel, Independence Rock.
H.F. Hart, May 24th, 1865. C.B. Chapman, June 10th, 1850. J. J. Hollingsworth, June
11th, 1862. This is a litany of courage chiseled in stone. A tribute to the pioneering
spirit. You see, its one thing to sit in your easy chair and watch the future being
conceived in the distance. It is quite another thing to load up your wagons and go
and help in the labor of its birth. Courage is the enabling characteristic that allows
you to actualize your intuition, and if you have a pioneers courage, you too will find
a rock somewhere on which to carve your name.
Nucor Steel Plant, Crawfordsville, IN
Here at the Nucor Steel Crawfordsville plant, next to mountains of scrap iron in
the middle of Indiana farmland, the people of Nucor have courageously pioneered a
revolution in steel making: thin slab casting, invented by Polish engineer, Manfred
Kolikowski. Before Crawfordsville, it used to take 3,000 feet of rollers to make hot
rolled sheet steel. Now Nucor can do it in 300 feet with this amazing, continuous,
thin slab casting machine, the first of its kind in the world. Thin slab casting was
the holy grail of steel making. During the 20th century the Germans tried and
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failed. The Japanese tried, and failed. The Russians, the French, the British, the Swiss,
the Italians, all tried and failed. And in the face of all that failure, Nucor tried, and
succeeded. Thats courage.
From scrap steel, to molten steel, to continuous casting, to hot rolled sheet steel. The
result? The most labor efficient steel plant in the world.
Even as many old style steel mills sit unused and uncompetitive, silent shadows
on the landscape of change, Nucor continues forward, a company and its people
energized by the spirit of paradigm pioneering.
On the plainswalking alongside the wagon
To intuition and courage we now add the final ingredient of the pioneer, a
commitment of time. Its a long walk to Oregon! Paradigm pioneers understand how
much time it takes to go from a rough concept to a working paradigm. For Ray Kroc
it took half a decade. For Ken Iverson of Nucor, it took more than ten years. For the
Japanese engineers of JVC, it took a quarter of a century to develop the VHS video
cassette recorder.
Paradigm pioneers understand there are no clear and easy roads, because they are
first into the territory. They cut the pathways.
Washington, D.C.
So the benefits are there, and the risks are, too. But I believe the risks of not staying
close to the leading edge are growing every day. Those organizations that know how
to pioneer are gaining huge leverage even now over those who do not.
How do I illustrate that claim? By asking two questions. First question, what nation
has the highest rate of creating new paradigms in the last 50 years? Your answer
should be the United States of America. Look what the U.S. has done: the transistor,
color television, videotape recording, the microwave oven, fast foods, the personal
computer, software of all kinds, gene splicing, hard disc drives, the fax machine. But
now I need to ask that second question to illustrate what Ive been driving at. What
nation in the world is the best at paradigm pioneering?
Golden PavilionKyoto, Japan
Your answer should be Japan. Now many people believe Japans success has been
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built on their ability to simply copy other peoples ideas. Dont you believe that for
a minute. They are paradigm pioneers, perhaps the best in the world. Please keep in
mind, they dont start off with somebody elses finished idea. They enter in early on
the paradigm curve, and then with hard work and long hours and great cleverness
and a deep commitment to the long term, they drive the new paradigm from concept
into practice.
Sharp Electronics BuildingKyoto, Japan
Here, southeast of Kyoto, we find an example of Japans paradigm pioneering. Sharp
was one of the first to produce and sell a full color, active matrix, flat video screen
a paradigm shift in screen technology. Its first application was with computers, but
behind these walls Sharp is building larger and larger flat screens for television. And
thats a market worth tens of billions of dollars worldwide. Who originated this
technological breakthrough? Westinghouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in the
early 1970s.
In front of a flat screenfish
Here we see why this screen has the potential to dominate the world with its clarity,
its brilliant color, its narrow silhouette. So many uses. Yet no one in the United States
was willing to invest the time and the money and the effort into driving it up the
paradigm curve into practicality, only the Japanese were. So they bought the early
patents and did it.
In front of a flat screen..,cats
How do opportunities like this slip away? Too many people want too many numbers
before theyll make a decision. Market surveys, risk analysis, manufacturing costs,
profitability where are the numbers? Investors want safety, good numbers equals
low risk. Thats settler mentality. Just remember, there can be no numbers until the
pioneers generate the numbers.
On the Bullet Train
So, by paradigm pioneering and not waiting for the numbers, the Japanese got
videotape recording, fax machines, and those active matrix flat screens from the
United States, quartz watches from Switzerland, diamond coatings from the Soviet
Union, fuzzy logic from the University of California at Berkeley, compact music
discs from the Netherlands, and even their greatest hallmark, total quality, from
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W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Durand of the United States. And that is far from a
complete list. Of course, the rest of the world now has the numbers on those things
thanks to the Japanese.
Walking on the streetTokyo
I mentioned on the train that the Japanese pioneered the American idea of total
quality. Well, for much of the 20th century its been common practice for the very
large companies to wait for the small companies to pioneer new ideas and then,
when it was safe, theyd muscle in and push the little guys out with sheer dollar
power.
Electronics ShopTokyo
But it will be much, much harder for those predators when you take a paradigm
pioneering position and add the continuous improvement process. Kaizen, as it is
known here in Japan, means every day finding some way to improve every aspect
of your product or your service and the processes by which you create and deliver
them. Now it doesnt have to be a big improvement. One tenth of one percent is just
fine. But you have to do it every day.
Kaizen changes the slope of your paradigm curve. Instead of it developing like this,
now it develops like this. As a result, when the settler who comes in late and yells Is
it safe out there? the pioneer answers, Sure, but theres nothing left for you. Thats
why the 21st century is a century for pioneers.
Sony Walkman Display
Look at what Sony did with the Walkman. They introduced their product in
1979. Within 12 months, the competitors showed up and the race was on. In 1981,
they kaizened their product by making it much smaller and introduced Walkman
II. With this move, Sony rendered the competitive products obsolete. So the
competition went back to make theirs smaller, and several months later they came
back with their smaller version. To which Sony kaizened again. And for the last
ten years Sony has reduced the power energy requirements, added a rechargeable
battery, made the switching smoother, added two headphone jacks, made it smaller
and lighter still, added water resistance, added increased fidelity, reduced the cost
of manufacturing and increased its reliability. Continuous improvement kaizen,
kaizen, kaizen. And nowhere on this list are any of the innovations Sony pioneered;
auto reverse, bass and treble, remote control, wireless headphones. As a result, more
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than a decade after its introduction, most people worldwide think of Sony first when
they think of the best Walkman.
Now what Im suggesting here is a kind of formula. Paradigm pioneering plus
continuous improvement equals never give the settler an even break. It is going to be
very difficult to catch paradigm pioneers who practice total quality and continuous
improvement.
So how do you become a paradigm pioneer? Let me offer a few suggestions. It all
starts with an open mind. First, do what the Japanese do. Get outside your borders
of your job, of your organization, of your nation. Go see what others are doing. Smart
people all over the world are breaking the rules. Go find the paradigm shifters, and
make friends with them.
Joels Office
Second, understand that you will probably have to break your own rules of past
success in order to achieve future success. And that the new rules will probably be
brought to you by someone outside your organization.
Book/Magazine Store
Third, develop new reading habits. Read beyond your boundaries. Read in areas that
you have no expertise in at all. Read to see what new ideas are out there that you
might be able to adapt to your needs.
Snake River, WY
Fourth, just like panning for gold, no matter how good your intuitive skills are,
theyll never be 100% correct. Youve got to be ready for failure. But you cant let
that failure stop your pioneering behavior because in the long run the gains will
dramatically outweigh the losses.
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Joels Office
Since there is no way to predict exactly where your new paradigm will come
from, your basic behavior is pretty simple: listen, listen, listen. Listen to your
fellow employees, listen to your customers, listen to your suppliers, listen to your
competition, listen to anyone who is messing around with your paradigms.
Closing Campfireearly morning
So it is not the role of the paradigm pioneer to discover the new rules, but to
creatively operationalize them. They bring the new paradigms to practical reality,
Thank you, paradigm pioneers.
Few of us will ever be paradigm shifters. That is the most challenging role in the
human drama. But many of us can choose the pioneers pathway. It is a pathway of
intuition and courage. It is a long pathway that by its very nature will always seem
risky.
It makes no difference whether its an individual or an institution, a corporation or
a community. The principles hold true. We must learn to be unafraid of uncharted
territory. To step up to the edge and not turn away. To understand that beyond
the old boundaries is so much more than what we have now. You see, thats what
so special about the future. We may run out of today, but well never run out of
tomorrow. There will always be a new idea to make the world a better place.
Grand Tetons, WY
And for the paradigm pioneers it will always be Wagons ho! time to discover the
opportunities that await on the other side of the horizon.
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Handouts
#1
better place.
#2
Paradigms are about patterns of behavior and the rules and
regulations we use to construct those patterns.
We use those patterns first to establish boundaries, and then to
direct us on how to solve problems.
#3
Synonyms for Paradigms
Theory Model
Protocols Patterns
Methodologies Routines
Habit Common Sense
Customs Rituals
4 Section 8: Overheads
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4 Section 8: Overheads Paradigm Pioneers with Joel Barker
#4
as a result of the paradigm shift, the standard way of doing
business can become obsolete or irrelevant.
#5
Paradigm Shifters
#6
#7
The pioneers pathway is a pathway of intuition and courage;
a long pathway that by its very nature will always seem risky.
y
67
#8
The Role of the Paradigm Pioneer
#9
application.
#10
The Place of the Settler in the Pioneering
Organization
#11
y
68
#12
Although pioneers are traditionally seen as high risk takers,
Barker believes, in the 21st century, it will be the settlers who
are at high risk.
#13
Beware The Settler Mentality
#14
PIONEERS SETTLERS
High risk takers Low risk takers
Generate the numbers Demand the numbers
Make it safe Wait till it is safe
#15
Motivation
Pioneer vs. Settler
y
69
#16
Expectations
Pioneer vs. Settler
#17
Intuition
Courage
#18
THE PARADIGM CURVE
Problems
Solved
Time
A
C
B
y
70
#19
Intuition is the ability to make good decisions with incomplete
information.
#20
Courage is the second essential attribute of a paradigm pioneer;
It is the willingness to move forward in the face of great risk.
#21
If you have a pioneers courage, you too will find a rock some-
where on which to carve your name
#22
Intuition
Courage
y
71
#23
Trust your intuitive judgements
Have the courage to take the risk
Commit to the long term
#24
#25
The Japanese pioneered these U.S. innovations:
Videotape Recording Fax Machines
Fuzzy Logic Active Matrix Flat Screen
Total Quality
#26
The Japanese pioneered these innovations from
other countries:
Quartz watches from Switzerland
Diamond coatings from the Soviet Union
Compact music discs from the Netherlands
y
72
#27
THE PARADIGM CURVE
Problems
Solved
Time
A
C
B
#29
Kaizen changes the slope of your paradigm curve.
Problems
Solved
Time
A
C
B
Kaizen
y
73
#30
FORMULA
Paradigm Pioneering
+
=
#31
Star Thrower Distribution Corporation
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cc.::.,::c
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Facilitators Guide

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