The Opposable Mind was written on the premise that it is not enough to study leaders and innovators on what they did, but also how their thinking influenced their decisions and behaviors (Martin, 2009). To describe the intangible process of integrative thinking Martin (2009) used the more tangible term “opposable mind” to describe the process of integrating two or more competing ideas into a new and possibly better idea. Martin said, “integrative thinking shows us a way past the binary limits of either-or. It shows us that there’s a way to integrate the advantages of one solution without canceling out the advantages of an alternative solution” (2005, p. 9). As contrasted to either-or thinking, integrative thinking allow us, “‘the choice not between, but of’” (Stevens, as cited in Martin, 2009, p. 9).
In his studies of leaders that were found to use integrative thinking, Martin (2009) was able to describe six key features integrative thinkers utilized. These key features can also be used to navigate the current educational situation of forced distance learning in many schools.
Key Feature of Integrated Thinking 1
Integrative thinkers realize that the existing models represented in the problem are not reality. Instead, there are many perspectives of a situation and no one perspective has to be the correct one.
How To Apply to Current Education Situation
There is no one right way to do distance/hybrid learning. There may be many possible ways of doing it that work.
Key Feature of Integrated Thinking 2
Knowing there is no one reality, the integrative thinkers look at current models and compare and contrast the effectiveness, benefits, and costs of each.
How To Apply to Current Education Situation
We should look at what we have done in the past two months, evaluate the effectiveness of each and the cost/benefits. For example,, how is synchronous and asynchronous learning working and what are the benefits of each model.
Key Feature of Integrated Thinking 3
The integrative thinker realizes that there could possibly be a model that is better than those that exist.
How To Apply to Current Education Situation
Maybe there is a model we have not yet found that could work better than what we are doing now! Maybe there is something even better than exclusive face-to-face classes or online learning.
Key Feature of Integrated Thinking 4
The innovative thinker believes in their personal creativity and analysis and believes they can find a better model.
How To Apply to Current Education Situation
We need to believe there is a better model, one we haven’t found, yet.
Key Feature of Integrated Thinking 5
The innovative thinker works through and with the complexity of the situation. Martin (2009) advises against oversimplifying the issue as the prospect of eliminating possible solutions can be of consequence. Instead, integrative thinkers embraced the complexity, and if needed sought advice from others with more insight or a different perspective.
How To Apply to Current Education Situation
Our current distance learning situation is very, very, very complex. There are many factors that influence it including student access to resources, teacher fluency in distance learning, hardware and software availability, the security of student information, and the different social and emotional challenges of being away from a classroom.
Key Feature of Integrated Thinking 6
Integrative thinkers allow themselves the time and space to create solutions, integrative thinkers feel that, “with hard thinking and patience, they can find a better outcome” (Martin, 2009, p. 113).
How To Apply to Current Education Situation
The answers are not going to be figured out today, or even tomorrow. Thinking takes time, and although we all want a solution now, we will need to practice patience.
In addition to the process of innovative thinkers, Martin (2009) cited the strategy of leaders developing a team to wade through and develop creative resolutions to messy problems. A team made up of specialists, or members with specific talents can support integrative thinking and give insight to the multiple facets of problems. Martin described the combination of members with specific talents as a “renaissance team”, and described how integrative thinkers rely on these teams, “to broaden salience, maintain sophisticated causality, and create holistic architecture in their drive for creating resolution” (Martin, 2009, p. 82). We should make use of education experts with experience in many aspects of education from classroom teachers, technology experts, and higher-level education policy leaders to create solutions.
The use of integrative thinking, and specifically the six key features and creating teams, can allow synthesis of what appears to be competing ideas in education. With time, and lots of thinking we can find many solutions that will work better than what we have now.
Reference
Martin, R. L. (2009). The opposable mind: winning through integrative thinking. Boston, MA:
Harvard Business School Press.