Our world, and our work, is ever-increasingly about change. And the expectation for our future, like it or not, is either that we competitively adapt to that change and take advantage of its potential. Or we fall behind, and eventually fall victim to its consequences.
But change is not just about what happens around us, it is about what happens within us. And a really big part of that is about developing our cognitive abilities. Developing our thinking processes and our mental models to better equip us to better engage with with the opportunities of change.
The role of vocabulary in thinking
Our vocabulary plays a really big part in enabling our brains to grasp, handle, communicate and apply the new concepts enabled by that change. This as explained in a really helpful TED talk: ‘How language shapes the way we think‘ by Lera Boroditsky,
That is where biznaptics come in.
You may not have heard of biznaptics. It is a made up word that I have created, purely for this article. It represents the practice of actively generating, or appropriating, sets of new words (also known as neology). But specifically to support the mental engagement with change, and thereby accelerate its impact within a business.
And, all of a sudden, we have a new concept. And we have a new label. A container which can expand or adapt as it needs to in order to embrace our understanding of the concept as it develops. The advantage of this is explained by the list printed at the end the article.
Adopting words as containers of ideas
Dr Boroditsky’s talk connected with something I became aware of very recently. I have been working with a particular client for some months now. I have been introducing new Agile design concepts to them, and helping them weave these into their everyday practice. Last week I discovered that they had labelled this work, its meetings, and its projects ‘culturistics’. And this provides them with a container which evolves to reflect their increased understanding and awareness of this new way of working. As a word, for them, it represents a change in attitude, in practice, in ambition – along particular lines. And it helps them in all the ways described by the list below.
For me, it is simply the name of my company, inspired by Daniel Kahneman’s work. It is the idea of ‘cultural heuristics‘ in better engaging with ever increasing rates of change. In other words, a totally different container. But that doesn’t matter. For this particular client, the word becomes whatever is currently most productive for them in engaging with these new concepts.
To be fair, many changes you encounter already have their own new (or appropriated) vocabulary. Take Agile for example, with its scrums, sprints and ceremonies. But other changes may not have such a vocabulary, or may have insufficient new vocabulary for your people’s needs. In these cases it is helpful to created a limited set of new vocabulary to act as labels and containers for the evolving understanding that will be taking place. In many cases these might be hybrid words, or word combinations, particularly when associated with meaningful and specifically named locations or events. For example the Chatham House Rule.
New words and the risk of jargon
Unfortunately, in doing this, we will inevitably open ourselves up accusations of creating or supporting ‘jargon’. And those accusations will be fair. But they will largely come from those outside the group actively engaging with change. They will come from those for whom the words have no meaning, and who frankly may not need them.
So we need to be considerate that our communication is appropriate and meaningful to our audience. We need to reserve our neologisms for those who embrace their meaning, and those who we wish to bring into that group. After all jargon is only ‘jargon’ when it is used inappropriately. But the fact that it is as prevalent as it is, is a sure sign of its competitive power to those for whom it is appropriate.
If we use ‘biznaptics’* intelligently, we will significantly empower people’s minds to engage with change. We will be providing them with the cardinal points by which to navigate and chart their new adventure. And we will be strategically extending their cognitive and conceptual processing through:
Benefits of new vocabulary
- Expanding Concepts: Introducing new vocabulary allows individuals to articulate and comprehend concepts. Concepts that might have been previously vague or difficult to express. It provides a framework for thinking about abstract or complex ideas, leading to more nuanced understanding and analysis.
- Cognitive Flexibility: Learning and using new vocabulary can enhance cognitive flexibility. Thereby enabling individuals to switch between different ways of thinking and problem-solving. This adaptability can be especially beneficial in diverse and dynamic business environments.
- Perception and Attention: Specific vocabulary can influence what individuals pay attention to and how they categorize and interpret information. For example, having specialized business terms can direct attention to critical aspects of a project or market analysis.
- Decision-Making: New vocabulary may lead to changes in decision-making processes. By having access to precise terms to describe risks, opportunities, and potential outcomes, individuals can make more informed and strategic choices.
- Creativity and Innovation: Language is a tool for creativity, and introducing new vocabulary can spark fresh ideas. This enables more innovative approaches to problem-solving. It allows individuals to think outside their usual linguistic boundaries and consider novel solutions.
Avoiding being constrained by the limitations of language
- Emotional Expression: Different languages and vocabularies often have unique emotional expressions. Adopting new emotional terms can enable individuals to articulate their feelings more accurately, leading to better emotional intelligence and communication.
- Empathy and Understanding: Language can influence our ability to empathize with others. Learning new terms related to diversity and inclusion, for example, can promote understanding and empathy in a multicultural business environment.
- Sense of Identity: Incorporating new elements of vocabulary from various cultures or communities can foster a sense of interconnectedness and openness to different perspectives, creating a more inclusive and cohesive organizational culture.
*I am not seriously proposing that the word ‘biznaptics’ is used for this approach or, indeed, anywhere outside of this article. I have merely been intending it as a vaguely facetious but hopefully practical illustration of the principle, for which I hope it has proven of conceptual benefit. Conversely, neology and neologisms are real words, in fact meta-words, which, now I have discovered them I will be using with enthusiastic abandon.
More from Culturistics:
Daily re-restructuring for agility? How adaptive structures maximise agile engagement.
Culture eats strategy for breakfast – but what sort of strategy are you feeding it?
Facilitating mental wellbeing – The power of adventure in keeping our minds fit & healthy.
Patterns of collaborative excellence – Rediscovering the lost wisdom of design.
Prescient emotional knowledge management – do you have what it takes?
Culture eats strategy for breakfast – but what sort of strategy are you feeding it?
Facilitating mental wellbeing – The power of adventure in keeping our minds fit & healthy.
Patterns of collaborative excellence – Rediscovering the lost wisdom of design.
Prescient emotional knowledge management – do you have what it takes?