“As E.F. Schumacher said ‘The richer the society, the more difficult it becomes to do worthwhile things without immediate payoff.’ … In a wealthy , industrialized society, … we are discouraged from doing anything that isn’t productive.” Eric Weiner in his book The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search For The Happiest Places In The World. ISBN 978-0-446-69889-4.
Put another way, the wealthier we become, the less we value any endeavour that does not immediate produce more wealth, or some other payoff.
Wow! What implication does this have on a wealthy company or society’s ability to innovate and invent?
Does this explain why external vendors often dogmatically focus on the narrow task at hand and avoid thinking of the wider implications?
Many businesses want, but don’t want to pay for, big picture thinking. Primarily because it does not link to the immediate, short term outcomes of projects. When big picture thinking happens, it is because the vendor happens to have the experience and gave a damn enough to do a proper job. Most vendors just do the work and move on, leaving any longer term implications for someone else to sort out.
