a question of biology
I happened to discover the key to human diversity in a management book, which describes how companies operate the transition (and this is indeed an endogenous process) from being average companies to great companies. The book is Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Maybe I'll get to know the genetic code for success, that was my initial interest when I first was acquainted to the book. But I ended up finding a treaty on human behavior, reduced to a simple division. This clear demarcation, inspired by Sir Isaiah Berlin and rooted in an ancient Greek parable, indicates the existence of two categories in this world: hedgehogs & foxes.
I am compelled to share the parable, as I can see throught it many links and reflexions to and from what people, real people (those with whom you relate every day) are.
"The fox is a cunning creature, able to devise a myriad of complex strategies for sneak attacks upon the hedgehog. (...) Fast, sleek, beautiful, fleed of feet, and crafty - the fox looks like the sure winner. the hedgehog, on the other hand, is a dowdier creature, looking like a genetic mix-up between a porcupine and a smal armadillo.
The fox waits in cunning silence at the juncture in the trail. The hedgehog, minding his own business, wanders right into the path of the fox. “Aha, I’ve got you now!” thinks the fox. He leaps out, bounding across the ground, lightning fast. The little hedgehog, sensing danger, looks up and thinks, “Here we go again. Will he ever learn?” Rolling up into a perfect little ball, the hedgehog becomes a sphere of sharp spikes, pointing outward in all directions. The fox, bounding toward his prey, sees the hedgehog defense and calls off the attack. Retreating back to the forest, the fox begins to calculate a new line of attack. Each day, some version of this battle between the hedgehog and the fox takes place, and despite the greater cunning of the fox, the hedgehog always wins". [Collins, Jim pp. 90-91]
So now what about you, who have always thought you were as clever as a fox?
Maybe I'll get to know the genetic code for success, that was my initial interest when I first was acquainted to the book. But I ended up finding a treaty on human behavior, reduced to a simple division. This clear demarcation, inspired by Sir Isaiah Berlin and rooted in an ancient Greek parable, indicates the existence of two categories in this world: hedgehogs & foxes.
I am compelled to share the parable, as I can see throught it many links and reflexions to and from what people, real people (those with whom you relate every day) are.
"The fox is a cunning creature, able to devise a myriad of complex strategies for sneak attacks upon the hedgehog. (...) Fast, sleek, beautiful, fleed of feet, and crafty - the fox looks like the sure winner. the hedgehog, on the other hand, is a dowdier creature, looking like a genetic mix-up between a porcupine and a smal armadillo.
The fox waits in cunning silence at the juncture in the trail. The hedgehog, minding his own business, wanders right into the path of the fox. “Aha, I’ve got you now!” thinks the fox. He leaps out, bounding across the ground, lightning fast. The little hedgehog, sensing danger, looks up and thinks, “Here we go again. Will he ever learn?” Rolling up into a perfect little ball, the hedgehog becomes a sphere of sharp spikes, pointing outward in all directions. The fox, bounding toward his prey, sees the hedgehog defense and calls off the attack. Retreating back to the forest, the fox begins to calculate a new line of attack. Each day, some version of this battle between the hedgehog and the fox takes place, and despite the greater cunning of the fox, the hedgehog always wins". [Collins, Jim pp. 90-91]
So now what about you, who have always thought you were as clever as a fox?
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