Showing posts with label reasonable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reasonable. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The value of being unreasonable
Of all the quotes about change that I posted yesterday, Shaw’s “The
reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in
trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the
unreasonable man” stuck with me the most, although the others certainly
made a memorable impression. I love quotes that get me thinking. This one made
me think about how I face and have faced the world and my workplace during the
past few years. I don’t think I’ve been very reasonable. I have not always tackled
the changes around me, perhaps because there were too many of them to deal with
all at one time. I don’t adapt immediately to anything, but I can adapt over
time, provided I can see the value in making the change. I don’t always see the
value of doing so. Most changes have to do with the way research is done now;
the new focus is on getting researchers to accept a research world that is
defined by large research groups and extensive national and international group
collaborations. A far cry from the research world of twenty years ago, where
working in small groups, often alone, was the norm, at least in the
environments where I worked. At that time, decisions were often made alone with
perhaps some input and advice along the way; now, there are several meetings with
multiple individuals to discuss specific issues before a decision is made
concerning them. This new approach shifts responsibility for decisions from one
person to several persons, which is advantageous in some respects; I can see
the value in this approach. However, the loss of autonomy as an independent
creative researcher and the dilution of responsibility are two major concerns that
could have negative repercussions. It is easier to adapt to change, to fit in
and to stop challenging, rather than to stand out or stand alone, to protest,
or to challenge the voices of reason telling you to be reasonable. Or better yet, to be realistic. It remains to be seen whether the current trends and
approaches will lead to increased productivity and effectiveness (the current
definition of progress) or if unreasonableness is the better approach to ensure
progress, as Shaw apparently believed.
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