Choice is a
wonderful and important thing in life. Classical economic theory brought out
the many imperfections of lack of choice through its analysis on monopoly.
Governments, societies and individuals believe that choice and competition are
in the best interests of consumer. In the ordinary course of life, an
individual is beset with choices. One has to open an Education page of any
Indian newspaper to see how the students are wooed by multiple options in
education, from specializations to countries. Even a simple thing as dining in
restaurant is not easy given the multiple individual and combo options that are
made available. On a serious note, however, the individual has a right to, and
responsibility in, making prudent choices so that the individual and those
dependent on the individual benefit from the choice made.
My earlier blog
post (Strategy Musings, February 28, 2015) titled “Deliberation, Information,
Decisiveness and Implementation (DIDI) Model: A Logical Pathway to Progress in
Multi-Option Life” (http://cbrao2008.blogspot.in/2015/02/deliberationinformation-decisiveness.html)
articulated a model to progress in life. It suggested that individuals need to
understand the true meaning and the essential relevance of deliberation,
information, decisiveness and implementation as the four components of an
accelerated journey of progress in life. The post also observed that despite the logic
of such an approach requiring high deliberation based on quality information
and quick decision making followed up by quick implementation, even
intellectually capable people tend to vacillate or freeze in life because of
digressions they encounter in their paths of progress.
Choice or chance?
In today’s
world where information is overwhelming, and either certification or branding
is common, there is apparently scope for perfect (or near perfect) choice. This
need not necessarily be true. On may choose a good educational institution for
study but the class to which one may be assigned could be random while the
quality of teachers and friends could be even more random, with positive or
negative results relative to others. One may choose an international travel
plan with thorough research on the likely weather conditions but it could be
beyond one’s choice as to whether an airlines management would or would not
cancel flights for a particular level of storm. In life, choice and chance
arguably play unpredictable roles, influencing the journey on path of progress.
Many times, a
chance occurrence can cause dramatic transformations in the life of an
individual or even nations. Nothing illustrates this better than the treatment
meted out to M K Gandhi in rail travel at Pietermaritzburg station, South
Africa on June 7, 1893 that transformed Gandhi’s life goal and eventually
changed the course of history for India. In our lives, we do meet persons or pass
through institutions that offer game changing opportunities. In some cases,
well laid plans including established career options turn out to be
adversarial. Chance in all such cases has to be coupled with choice to be able
to overcome the adversity or utilize the opportunity provided by chance. When
chance is met with by choice, the individual has to be resolute and diligent to
embark on the new path with determination.
One step but long track
In several
cases, the step one takes at the junction-in-time of chance and choice tends to
have far reaching consequences. What appears to be one small step would roll
out to become a long track. Perseverance and patience are the key; even if the
track turns out to be different from what one envisaged, it would make sense to
wait for the next time-junction of chance and choice rather than make hasty
changes. In life, the same goal can be reached in multiple ways, and the fact
of being compromised on a route that is not entirely of one’s choice need not
deter one from switching tracks at a more appropriate time. Well thought out or
opportunistic switches from one career to the other, or between work and
education help one reach the desired goals, despite false starts.
Equally, not
being patient and persevering could make people lose whatever value that is
inherent in a path. Traders in commodities and stocks who are impatient tend to
end up losing the corpus let alone making money. Yet, sophisticated algorithms
and predictive tools provide a false sense of security for shorting the future.
Emotional stability and contextual equanimity are two oars one has in
navigating the choppy waters of progress. This requires that being reflective
and introspective as well as being thoughtful and mindful is essential whether
or not one is on a preferred track. Action or implementation is physical and
tangible while thinking or deliberation is virtual and fleeting.
The tracks
An individual
has two important tracks to move on; the first is the implementation track
which is real, physical and tangible, whether one likes it or not. The other is
the deliberation track that is virtual, mental and emotional, whether one
desires it or not. As considered in the earlier blog, deliberation track makes
one get on to the implementation track. However, the deliberation track keeps
on working even when one is on the implementation track. It is up to the
competency and maturity of the individual to use the deliberation track to the
advantage of the implementation track. The deliberation track has to constantly
evaluate if the implementation track is taking the individual closer to the
goal or a momentum change within the track or even a track change is required,
and if so the appropriate timing in each case.
Mahatma Gandhi
said “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in
harmony” He also said, “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks,
he becomes”. Albert Einstein said “Imagination is more important than
knowledge”. These quotes by the greatest of leaders in humanity and science
respectively teach us that the power of positive thought can help one achieve
one’s life goals; probably even set the goals right. It is, therefore, of
utmost importance that one gains mastery over the internal and intrinsic
deliberation track. Whether one accomplishes that through the practice of
meditation and concentration or continuous self-correction is something for the
individual to mull over and follow.
Twin tracks
The above leads
us to conclude that in the best way forward, the deliberation track is in
harmony with the implementation track either acting as the way forwarder or
course corrector. However, the deliberation track can be inhibitory, digressive,
and sometimes even regressive. Consumer psychology is full of anecdotes wherein
wayward consumer thought processes make for randomly repetitive purchasing
behaviour of consumers. After a dish is ordered in the restaurant, the one
ordered on the other table looks interesting. After a Samsung Galaxy is bought,
Apple iPhone beckons for the next purchase. After one flight route is booked,
another may look to be safer and surer. Deliberative waywardness may cause only
minor dislocation in matters like these but could cause untold harm in more
serious matters of life like education, career and family.
Dilemmas are
not new to human life. Wanting to have everything is also a part of human life.
The classic expression of “to be or not to be” by Prince Hamlet in Shakespeare’s
play Hamlet leads the pack on dilemmas. The human being desires to have the
best of everything, at times illogically and at times greedily. The idioms “running
with the hare and hunting with the hound” and “having the cake and eating it
too” are strikingly descriptive of this innate characteristic of a human being.
The culture of human evolution and the challenge of progress, however, require
that the human being prioritizes what he wants and work towards achieving it. The
ability to appreciate choice and chance on one hand and deliberation and
decisiveness on the other hand is an essential part of the practice of human
progress.
Interfaces
There are four ways the twin tracks of thought and action can
interface. These are Aligned Harmony, Delayed Delivery, Random Digression, and Oscillating
Freeze.
The most effective
one obviously is Aligned Harmony in which thought and action are harmoniously
aligned to the goal. Some of the best inspirational missions of individuals
like Mahatma Gandhi’s independence movement or Nelson Mandela’s anti-apartheid
movement and technological missions of organizations, be it NASA Man on the
Moon Mission or ISRO’s Mangalyaan Mission (India’s Mars Orbiter Mission) are
accomplished under the Aligned Harmony format. This corresponds with a high deliberation-quick
decision format.
Delayed
Delivery is beset by nagging doubts on whether the route pursued is the right
one but at the same time is handicapped by lack of alternatives. This erodes
confidence and commitment in the route pursued. This corresponds with low
deliberation-slow decision format. Lack
of deliberation and consequent facile decision making lead to tardy progress
without commitment or belief.
Random Digression
occurs when an uncontrolled deliberation track derails the individual to switch
on to disruptively alternative action tracks. A researcher constantly in search
of alternative hypotheses or research methodologies even while progressing on
one hypothesis is subject to random digression. Achievement of goals can be highly
sub-optimal for such individuals, relative to time and effort spent. This corresponds
with high deliberation-slow decision syndrome.
And finally, Oscillating
Freeze occurs when an individual (or organization) iterates himself (or itself)
before accomplishing even the first milestone in each case. In this case, even
as action track moves forward the thought track moves backwards. A student who
does engineering course wishing all the time that he should have done medicine
or a professional who has chosen a particular job wishing all the time that he
should have joined the other firm. Such people freeze in their tracks every now
and then as their heart and soul are not in what they are deployed on.
Individuals as well as organizations who appreciate and achieve
aligned harmony between thought (or deliberation) and action (or decisiveness) understand
the eclectic fusion of chance and choice in life, and the interdependence of
thought and action, and therefore are made for sustainable success in a complex
and confusing multi-option world.
Posted by Dr CB
Rao on March 1, 2015
2 comments:
Yeah, you’re absolutely right that Classical economic theory was a great invention. It is a very important concept. My professor Dr. Aloke Ghosh delivers superb lectures on economical theory. He is an experienced accounts and economics professor.
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