The Reflexive Practitioner: Professional Cognition as an Impediment to

Social Adaptation

Kent Myers

Strategy and Organization CapabilityBooz Allen Hamilton

Orient

Gather

Act/test

ObserveValue

Decide/hypothesis

Generic model ofpractitioner cognition

OutwardInward

Release

Kent Myers myersk1@gmail.com

Professional Cognition as an Impediment to Social Adaptation

Idealize(value)

Formulate(observe)

Optimize(orient)

Adjust(decide)

Plan(act)

Rational Practice

The Ancient of Days William Blake (1757 - 1827)

Bound (value)

Collect data(observe)

Describe(orient)

Make accurate(decide)

Fix(act)

Focused Practice

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande JatteGeorges Seurat, 1884-1886.

Polish template(value)

Find discrepancy(observe)

Align to template(orient)

Rationalize(decide)

Instantiate(act)

Principled Practice

La Condition humaine René Magritte. 1933.

Read constituency(value)

Read opposition(observe)

Find position(orient)

Revise & extend(decide)

Advocate(act)

Interested Practice

Liberty Leading the PeopleEugène Delacroix 1830

Potentiate(value)

Scan(observe)

Reframe(orient)

Prune(decide)

Elaborate(act)

Cognitive Configuration for Reflexive Practice

Nude Descending a Staircase (No.2) Marcel Duchamp 1912.

Slack Robust

Weak Brittle

Potential

High

Low

Performance

Low High

Cognitivecomplexity

Plateaus in adult mental development

Socializedmind

Self-authoring

mind

Self-transforming

mind

Based on Kegan, Immunity to Change, p16, 28

5

5

8

40

35

6

<1

Aspects of personality/

Reflexive practitioner in turbulent conditions

At Risk practitioner in turbulent conditions

Reflexive practitioner in stable conditions

Emotional control

Stable, positiveTolerates doubt and uncertainty

Overwhelmed by complexityRattled by uncertainty

Slow in a crisisDistracted by small matters

Proclivity toward relatedness

Common goodSocial networks

Good ideasIndividuals

Any and all ideasSocial butterfly

Openness, curiousity

Uses ideasTolerates being wrongThoughtful, intuitive; sees aheadMulti-disciplinary

Decisive; Self-justifies in resolving cognitive dissonanceTheoretical

IndecisiveUnconcerned with errorsFrequent changes of mind

Tolerance for conflict

CooperativeResponsiveApproaches conflict

CompetitivePartisanConflict avoidant

Makes nice, doesn’t get to workDistracted; nosy

Goal attainment

Flexible, varied aimsShifts focus comfortably, agile, can act quickly

Driven to single goal / issue; Focused on plan; compulsive

Unclear what he really wantsDoesn’t stick to a topic

Intellect; reasoning

Reasons especially well nonverbally; broad conceptualizer; uses fluid intelligence to develop new ideas

Quickly seeks bottom line; Drives products top down

“On the other hand”Unclear what he really contributes

Capacity to reflect and reframe

Lifelong learnerUses experimentation and what-ifAccountable, open loop process

Well trained in specific domain expertiseResolute; closed loop

Wastes time on questioning, reading, when should be doingEndless tweaking

Field notes on reflexivity sightings

Islands of Awareness Rare BirdsObserved

PBS / Bill Moyers George Soros

C-SPAN / Washington Journal Daniel Yergin

Scientific American Bill McKibben