Charting the Corporate Mind

More than 25 years after its publication, Charting the Corporate Mind is still as relevant as ever. The author defends his vision of the manager’s mission: to solve problems, and not simply analyze or manage them. The problem is that managers often have to find answers to several issues at once, and not just one (e.g. powerful products, impeccable customer service AND competitive prices). In such cases, the natural tendency is to simplify the problem and find a compromise. But Charles Hampden-Turner proposes another approach: deliberately identifying unresolved dilemmas within one’s market, as they represent a potential source of innovation. He develops a concrete methodology to identify these dilemmas, discuss them within the team and then cultivate creative ideas. The book requires careful reading, because of a sometimes complex writing style, but provides very useful intellectual tools.