Articles on Thinking by Dato' Dr. Kamal Jit Singh
The following articles were authored by Kamal Jit Singh, the CEO of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia. You may click on the link to download the article. We will be adding notes and comments to correlate these articles with the goals of the iThink Project.
Our favorite quotes are printed above each article.
Our favorite quotes are printed above each article.
The Future is Now
The first quotes are actually from an interview, The Future is Now:
“Malaysians are particularly guilty of saying ‘It cannot be done’ when they mean ‘I don’t know how to do it, teach me.’”
"We are lacking in passion and hunger – we are too much in our comfort zone, shock treatment and shock therapy is sometimes necessary."
"The time has come for Malaysians to change – we do not have the luxury of time anymore – the world has changed."
“Malaysians are particularly guilty of saying ‘It cannot be done’ when they mean ‘I don’t know how to do it, teach me.’”
"We are lacking in passion and hunger – we are too much in our comfort zone, shock treatment and shock therapy is sometimes necessary."
"The time has come for Malaysians to change – we do not have the luxury of time anymore – the world has changed."
Thinking - the Basis of Innovation
"The Malaysian experience shows that our education system has largely replaced thinking with the regurgitation of facts and information. Schools impart information, not how to use the information to create a better society and world for us all."
"What employers want is for knowledge workers to see the big picture, have the ability to create and design novel solutions for existing problems, conceptualise and build businesses. In short, the ability to innovate."
Kamal states that there are three types of thinking for innovation to succeed: Innovative Thinking, Analytical and Critical Thinking (ACT) and, finally, Constructive Thinking.
"What employers want is for knowledge workers to see the big picture, have the ability to create and design novel solutions for existing problems, conceptualise and build businesses. In short, the ability to innovate."
Kamal states that there are three types of thinking for innovation to succeed: Innovative Thinking, Analytical and Critical Thinking (ACT) and, finally, Constructive Thinking.
1._thinking-the_basis_of_innovation.doc | |
File Size: | 35 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Learn Thinking Skills
"Daniel Goleman, the proponent of Emotional Quotient, points out that only 4%-6% of career success is based on IQ. . . . Siimply put, intelligence alone is not enough to succeed. It certainly helps but more crucial for innovation are other factors such as thinking skills, emotional quotient and entrepreneurship."
"Intelligence is not the same as thinking.. . .intelligence it is like a powerful car and skilled thinking is like a trained driver."
"Thinking is like any other skill such as riding a bicycle or juggling - it can be taught and learnt."
"Picasso said that every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction."
"When everyone is thinking the same thoughts, in effect, no one is really thinking. Once we rid ourselves of traditional thinking, we can get on with creating the future. Companies that don't feel the necessity for a change in thinking should clearly understand that survival too, is not mandatory in a Globalised world."
"Intelligence is not the same as thinking.. . .intelligence it is like a powerful car and skilled thinking is like a trained driver."
"Thinking is like any other skill such as riding a bicycle or juggling - it can be taught and learnt."
"Picasso said that every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction."
"When everyone is thinking the same thoughts, in effect, no one is really thinking. Once we rid ourselves of traditional thinking, we can get on with creating the future. Companies that don't feel the necessity for a change in thinking should clearly understand that survival too, is not mandatory in a Globalised world."
2._learn_thinking_skills.doc | |
File Size: | 33 kb |
File Type: | doc |
"Why" way to Innovate
"The objective is to identify the cause of the problem, and subsequently, remove it. The most effective tool for doing that is also the most deceptively simply one - the word "why". When used at least 5 times repetitively, "why" has the potential of revealing the true nature of the problem we are dealing with."
"After this analysis, you can move on to critical thinking that will question and critique your newly-found insight, your age-old assumptions and the sacred cows that you have been hiding quietly in the closet. Try it, giving honest answers for each question and you will be astonished at the results."
Dr. Kamal gave an excellent example of a company that required a lengthy form to be completed. His research discovered that over 90% of the information requested was to address a problem that occurred only 0.0002% of the time. This investigative process should be applied to all the non-teaching duties for teachers.
"A good tradesman's toolbox has a variety of tools to tackle different problems. One tool does not address all problems. Similarly, innovators need a complete toolbox with tools that solve a multitude of problems."
"After this analysis, you can move on to critical thinking that will question and critique your newly-found insight, your age-old assumptions and the sacred cows that you have been hiding quietly in the closet. Try it, giving honest answers for each question and you will be astonished at the results."
Dr. Kamal gave an excellent example of a company that required a lengthy form to be completed. His research discovered that over 90% of the information requested was to address a problem that occurred only 0.0002% of the time. This investigative process should be applied to all the non-teaching duties for teachers.
"A good tradesman's toolbox has a variety of tools to tackle different problems. One tool does not address all problems. Similarly, innovators need a complete toolbox with tools that solve a multitude of problems."
3._why_way_to_innovate.doc | |
File Size: | 33 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Getting to Heart of Truth
"Ironically, the problem we face in Malaysia is the opposite one – other issues become the deciding factors while logic and reason are either not present or take the back seat. One does not have to go far to see everyday examples of situations devoid of critical thinking – shops that refuse to give you a refund although you return the goods in original condition together with the receipt, credit card companies that charge your purchases immediately but take 30 days to give you a credit for cancelled transactions, utility companies that insist you pay the full amount first before investigating discrepancies in your bill, government departments that demand you produce your birth certificate as proof of your nationality although you have given them both your passport and identity card. "
"Could it be because we have substituted logic and reason with our coloured perceptions, misguided assumptions, unreasonable emotions, personal biases and political correctness? Could it be that our education system has failed to teach us how to think critically right from our formative years? Could it be that our intensive focus on the importance of memory has been at the expense of critical thinking skills? If any of these are true, can we reverse the situation and teach critical thinking skills to the uninitiated?"
"Could it be because we have substituted logic and reason with our coloured perceptions, misguided assumptions, unreasonable emotions, personal biases and political correctness? Could it be that our education system has failed to teach us how to think critically right from our formative years? Could it be that our intensive focus on the importance of memory has been at the expense of critical thinking skills? If any of these are true, can we reverse the situation and teach critical thinking skills to the uninitiated?"
4._getting_the_heart_of_truth.doc | |
File Size: | 33 kb |
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Breaking the Rules
"We seem to be operating on certain assumptions and beliefs that we have taken on as rules or 'truths' that cannot, or should not, be challenged."
". . . an assumption or rule could be based on traditions and culture. . . . Assumptions may be local or regional - not universal".
"What assumptions have you made about your customers, market, competitors and products? How true are these assumptions - have you tested them recently? Innovators must break free of the shackles that hold back creative ideas. Rules and assumptions are prisons that keep us locked in on mistaken or downright false beliefs. Innovators have to examine all sacred cows - the more sacred the cow is, the greater the chance that it is either flase or no longer applicable. This however, requires courage to question our deepest beliefs and convictions. If we are not even aware that we are prisoners of our own doing, how can we escape?"
". . . an assumption or rule could be based on traditions and culture. . . . Assumptions may be local or regional - not universal".
"What assumptions have you made about your customers, market, competitors and products? How true are these assumptions - have you tested them recently? Innovators must break free of the shackles that hold back creative ideas. Rules and assumptions are prisons that keep us locked in on mistaken or downright false beliefs. Innovators have to examine all sacred cows - the more sacred the cow is, the greater the chance that it is either flase or no longer applicable. This however, requires courage to question our deepest beliefs and convictions. If we are not even aware that we are prisoners of our own doing, how can we escape?"
5._breaking_the_rules.doc | |
File Size: | 32 kb |
File Type: | doc |
The Innovator - the Skeptic
"No amount of web research, spreadsheet analysis or boardroom discussion can substitute for hearing the message from the horse's mouth."
"Critical thinking is about getting to the heart of the truth, or in the innovator’s context, correctly identifying an opportunity. Very often, it is also about accurately isolating the cause of a problem. To be successful, an innovator must become a sceptic. He must question the evidence before his eyes. Pictures do lie and dead men can tell tales."
" Humans have a habit of asking for advice or opinion from others, who themselves, may need professional advice in the first place. Would you ask for financial advice from a person who cannot manage her own finances and runs into difficulties before the end of every month? Would you ask for your colleague’s opinion on your career progress when his own career is stuck in the doldrums? If you have a relationship problem, would you ask the advice of someone who has not been able to hold on to any relationship himself? When trying to create a new product or service, would you rely on the opinions of others who have never innovated anything in their lives?"
"Critical thinking is about getting to the heart of the truth, or in the innovator’s context, correctly identifying an opportunity. Very often, it is also about accurately isolating the cause of a problem. To be successful, an innovator must become a sceptic. He must question the evidence before his eyes. Pictures do lie and dead men can tell tales."
" Humans have a habit of asking for advice or opinion from others, who themselves, may need professional advice in the first place. Would you ask for financial advice from a person who cannot manage her own finances and runs into difficulties before the end of every month? Would you ask for your colleague’s opinion on your career progress when his own career is stuck in the doldrums? If you have a relationship problem, would you ask the advice of someone who has not been able to hold on to any relationship himself? When trying to create a new product or service, would you rely on the opinions of others who have never innovated anything in their lives?"
7._the_innovator_the_sceptic.doc | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Message from the Noise
The successful innovator separates the facts from the noise but does not discard the noise. The noise contains valuable data about new opportunities or the true cause of a problem. Facts are imperative but they alone, are not good enough. If an innovator is to rely on facts alone, he will become one with the crowd - reaching the same conclusions and making the same decisions as everyone else. He will become a run of the mill entrepreneur. For the passionate innovator, nothing could be more disastrous.
8._message_from_the_noise.doc | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
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Identifying the Opportunity
The ability to distinguish one from the other is what differentiates an entrepreneur from an innovator. An ordinary entrepreneur sees a business opportunity whereas an innovator charts the journey to a profitable destination.
The “FAPO Matrix” functions as the “third eye” and allows the innovator to “see” what others miss out – the richness provided by the intersections of the four components.
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