The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking
by Roger L. Martin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Roger L. MartinEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2007-12-04
ISBN: 1422118924
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Book Reviews of The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking
Book Review: Well-written discussion on integrative thinking
Summary: 4 Stars
Great topic. Essentially, Martin argues that leaders need to integrate ideas in order to succeed. Although the author might have conducted considerable research to reach this conclusion, in my opinion much of what is offered in this text really is not ground-breaking material. While Martin does bring some structure to his research by offering numerous examples to support his views along with accompanying models that he has developed, there is not a lot of substance here. It might make sense for the reader to review one of the briefs written up about this book rather than taking the time to digest all of the material, although it is a quick read. The author defines integrative thinking as "the ability to face constructively the tension of opposing ideas, and instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, generate a creative resolution of the tension in the form of a new idea that contains elements of the opposing ideas but is superior to each". Quite frankly, one would think that such an approach is already a common route to take. Procter & Gamble chairman and CEO, A. G. Lafley, is quoted by the author at the start of chapter two as saying that "everybody can do 'or'...you are not going to win if you are in a trade-off game", but regardless of what decision is made, is not one still making an 'or' decision? Of course. The old adage that indicates that one is still making a choice regardless of whether it is a conscious one still applies. It is possible that much of what is being discussed here is the difference of thinking between right-brained thinkers, left-brained thinkers, and what Marti Olsen Laney refers to as "bilateral dominance" in "The Introvert Advantage" (see my review). Is it true that heavily left-brained thinkers are still dominant in business leadership? It would be interesting to hear what Martin has to say on this topic. Unlike other reviewers, I give credit to Martin for giving some thought to his graphical depiction of the thinking process model that progresses through stages of salience, causality, architecture, and resolution, although the names of the stages might be a bit too abstract for some readers. In my opinion, the author's discussion of "reality" is probably one of the best aspects of this book. Martin states that "models are our customized understanding of reality", and he does a good job at introducing examples into the discussion that explain his point that "we filter the data that besieges us in part to protect our brains". Again, the material presented really is not new, but the explanation is well-crafted. The second half of the book concentrates on mapping a personal knowledge system model for the reader, and is a bit more interesting. The philosophy of Bob Young, co-founder and former CEO of Red Hat, is shared through several quotes in chapter five. "There is always more than one way to succeed in any given situation...whatever we adopt as our first answer is bound to be wrong." In addition, "customers are not always right...customers lie or they are wrong". After a brief discussion of the contrasts between engineers and salespeople during the early days of the Internet, Young contributes some of the best content to the book. "Don't think you're any good...and don't get defensive about it. It's not something to be embarrassed by, because the odds are no one else is any good either. That's the big secret. That's what's behind the curtain - no one else is any good." Young goes on to say that getting "a little bit better tomorrow" is how to slowly progress from good to excellent. "That's all it takes, is just this commitment not to be defensive. Don't worry about criticism, because you're not any good, so criticism is always valid". Martin then offers a discussion of sensitivities and skills, which leads up to a graphical depiction of "your personal knowledge system" that shows the flow between stance, tools, and experiences. Stances of the integrative thinker share six key attributes, the first of which is their belief that "whatever models exist at the present moment do not represent reality; they are simply the best or only constructions yet made". Reaching the stance about oneself that one is "capable of finding a better model" is also important. Three tools to create a new model, generative reasoning, causal modeling, and assertive inquiry are then discussed. The last chapter of the book discusses how humans have an inclination to accumulate experiences that reinforce the stance and tools with which they start. However, experiences also in turn influence stance and tools, and can deepen mastery, although "experiences do not necessarily deepen mastery". It would seem that Martin would agree with Gerald M. Weinberg's statement in "More Secrets of Consulting: The Consultant's Tool Kit" (see my review) that "experience is not just the best teacher, it's the only teacher. Experience may be the only teacher, but it doesn't necessarily teach anything". If you don't have time to read the entire book, chapter eight on experience is well recommended.
Summary of The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking
If you want to be as successful as Jack Welch, Larry Bossidy, or Michael Dell, read their autobiographical advice books, right? Wrong, says Roger Martin in The Opposable Mind. Though following “best practice” can help in some ways, it also poses a danger: By emulating what a great leader did in a particular situation, you’ll likely be terribly disappointed with your own results. Why? Your situation is different.
Instead of focusing on what exceptional leaders do, we need to understand and emulate how they think. Successful businesspeople engage in what Martin calls integrative thinking—creatively resolving the tension in opposing models by forming entirely new and superior ones. Drawing on stories of leaders as diverse as AG Lafley of Procter & Gamble, Meg Whitman of eBay, Victoria Hale of the Institute for One World Health, and Nandan Nilekani of Infosys, Martin shows how integrative thinkers are relentlessly diagnosing and synthesizing by asking probing questions—including “What are the causal relationships at work here?” and “What are the implied trade-offs?”
Martin also presents a model for strengthening your integrative thinking skills by drawing on different kinds of knowledge—including conceptual and experiential knowledge.
Integrative thinking can be learned, and The Opposable Mind helps you master this vital skill.
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