Logic Bubbles

If you have children, or even if you just observe their behavior, you have undoubtedly wondered on occasion, “Why did they act that way?  What were they thinking?”  The answer is deceptively simple.  They were acting within the limits of what they know about the world and how it works—their “logic bubble.”  For instance, if a child does not understand how to use a bottle opener to open a soda, they may try an alternative means to access said bottle—with a predictably bad outcome.

As a leader, especially in a new position, it may seem that employees—or even a whole organization—are acting illogically or stubbornly in ways that make no sense.

That might be true.  But probably not.  More likely, you are encountering a cultural “logic bubble,” a way of working that makes perfect sense internally, but not perhaps to someone from outside.  The challenge is to figure out the logic system.  If you can accomplish that, you have a shot at influencing it. Trying to influence or implement change by brute force without understanding the context is a lose-lose situation.

And even if you are already an insider, don’t assume that you understand the cultural context at the next level up (or down, for that matter).  There are subcultures within the larger organization that you will need to be sensitive to.  You will not be aware of all of these, regardless of your familiarity with an organization. Things will work differently at each level, and again you will need to recognize the logic bubbles.