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Values guide wise action. In general, the problems groups and organizations identify are related to the values they pursue. For example, a finance department may focus on the value of sustainability. Consequently, the problems it sees will likely be related to sustainability.
It is worth remembering, though, that organizations require the realization of multiple values to thrive.
Knowledge is required but insufficient for wise action. One reason this is true is that our understanding is often limited and flawed. Each form of rationality presented in Chapter V provides clarity in some aspects of human activity but is blind in others.
Solving problems requires us to bring appropriate forms of rationality to bear.
We can improve our problem-solving ability by bringing multiple people and perspectives together in the process of collective reasoning. Through collective reasoning, people representing different value positions and relying on various forms of rationality come together to create a more vibrant picture of the situation. Let’s explore these ideas in more detail.
Using Appropriate Forms of Rationality to Solve Problems
Each type of rationality discussed in Chapter V has strengths in certain areas. For example, economic rationality has advantages when you are trying to discover how to use your resources most productively. When you are trying to understand the social dynamics in a specific social setting, however, contextual (cultural) rationality may be more appropriate. Thus, it is vital to understand which form of rationality is suitable for that situation when solving a problem.
That said, we get a more vibrant picture of our situation by bringing multiple rationalities to bear. For example, using contextual (cultural) rationality may help us determine how to best apply the results of our economic rationality to a specific organization. We saw an example of this with the Seniors Program in Appendix 1.
- Remember, the researchers initially wanted a single, uniform intervention they could apply equally in BC and Nova Scotia premised on their investigation (i.e. technocratic rationality).
- Differences between the regions prevented this, so people had to modify and adapt the intervention for each health authority (i.e. contextual (cultural) rationality).
In short, consider the nature of your problem and assess the rationality most appropriate to solve it. Then, broaden your thinking by applying different types of rationality to enrichen your view of the situation. Applying multiple types of rationality by yourself may be challenging to accomplish. Luckily, in organizations, you are not alone.
Collective Reasoning as a Way to Solve Problems
A person can only know so much. Additionally, most forms of education develop only one or two types of rationality. For example, science programs focus almost exclusively on technocratic rationality, while business programs focus on economic rationality, and so on. Thus, people may lack the ca