Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future

I give this book 5-Stars for opening my eyes to a new way of thinking. It's not particularly well written, and these days all of its examples are over 20 years old. However, I continue to recommend it (and give copies to friends and acquaintances) because I haven't come across a better book that covers the same ground.Barker gives several definitions of a paradigm which all boil down to "a framework of rules within which problems are solved." It seems we humans solve problems by first creating a conceptual framework defining the problem is and then apply whatever problem-solving rules we consider to be most applicable to it.With the concept of a framework of rules in mind, imagine a major league baseball game. The batter has just hit a long ball and is passing second base on the way to third when the shortstop tackles him and wrestles him to the ground. If this happened in real life the YouTube video would go viral overnight. Why? Because it's so comical that a player would break such an unbreakable rule. No professional baseball player ever feels so desperate to stop a runner that he'd try to stop him that way. If it happened, it would strike us as hysterically funny.Barker's entire book addresses this propensity to put ourselves within a framework of rules -- a conceptual box he calls a paradigm -- and to solve all problems within those rules. The baseball example is funny, but with the first example in the book he describes the irony of how the Swiss watch industry went from owning 65% of the watch market to 10% in a dozen years because of the advent of the quartz watch. This wouldn't be ironic if it weren't for the fact that the Swiss had invented the quartz watch but never considered it anything but a toy. It seems that if you spend your entire life working on better escapements and finer jeweled bearings, the idea of controlling the accuracy with a crystal is as silly as the shortstop tackling the runner.One could wish that Mr. Barker would update his book for all of the paradigm shifts that have occurred in the last two decades, but since he hasn't done so I see this book as still relevant. I note that "other sellers" are selling it for as low as a penny (which translates to four dollars delivered), and it's certainly worth all of that.

This book will challenge you to think differently about how you lead yourself and others.

Barker has always had a way of shining new light on old habits to illuminate fresh perspectives and re-energize the road ahead. This book is not just a way to think "WOW!", but also a source of answers to "How do I …?"

If you don't know the paradigm guy, you are in for a real learning opportunity .

Joel Barker does a nice job of explaining paradigm shifts and how to look for and anticipate the shifts. As he says, "You cannot know who is going to bring you your future. You cannot qualify them in advance by looking at degrees or experience, or gender, or race. You can only listen." And what do you listen for? You listen for people messing with the rules, because that is the earliest sign of significant change.I found the book very interesting until about half way through. After that, it seemed the author had explained the bulk of his theory and had to add stuffing to complete the book. However, I do recommend this as reading to anyone interested in futurist studies. The book is very easy reading and can be read from cover to cover in about 1-4 hours for even the moderate reader.

This book is very helpful in getting know the summitlighthouse better.Thans amazon

Awesome read Enjoyed every word

I receive the t-shirt with a rupture at the top. I really disappointed.

Interesting concepts, with real life examples - helps improve possibilities.

Did you know that you are controlled by paradigms? Organizations are controlled by paradigms. Countries are controlled by paradigms. Paradigms can determine the success or failure of any human endeavour, including the success of companies or your families. Want to change the outcomes? Change your thinking. Want to know how? Read this book.

I study and teach paradigms pertaining to individuals and the subconscious mind. This is a great book on paradigms from the perspective of how it relates to businesses. Recommended for anyone that wants to understand trends on a deeper level and have a competitive edge.

This book is just amazing. It gives you the "How" to see the futur and anticipate about impending trends. Thanks to Arthur for this faboulus book

One of the finest books I have ever read on identifying paradigms and anticipating future. Reading through the pages I discovered books like these ought to be part of regular curriculum for students in all undergraduate courses.The reason I say this is, they are supposed to choose between career options available and this book helps them identify future business patterns and align their strengths with their career goals.