TOCICO

This is a workshop on “Clear and Rigorous Thinking” – intended for general conference attendees. It has its genesis in Eli Goldratt’s last seminal work “The Choice” in which he exhorts all to “Think Clearly.” While ‘Thinking’ is an intrinsic ability- a routine activity, ‘Clear Thinking’ is a skill, and like any other skill, it needs to be developed and honed. Eli defines ‘Thinking Clearly’ as ‘understanding correctly the causality governing a situation of interest to you….’ Clear Thinking drives correct choices in our areas of interest & therefore the level of success & happiness we achieve in our life. Clear Thinking is elusive for most people - even for the average TOC practitioner. We tend to ‘think’ much below our potential and in the process miss out on great opportunities for ourselves. We have the requisite brain power and domain knowledge to effectively deal with our day-to-day problems- it is just that we are not using these effectively & adequately to our advantage. The contents of the workshop have built up on the concept of “standing on the giant’s shoulders”, Eli being the central giant in this case. At the core is Eli’s concept of Inherent Simplicity. Additionally, it integrates the work of Lisa Scheinkopf (Passive & Active Thinking) and Daniel Kahneman (System 1 and System 2 Thinking) to get TOC people to use these 2 modes optimally & consciously when dealing with high stake issues & while exercising choices in their areas of interest. The workshop session seeks to help people develop a whole new connectivity & an empowered relationship with ‘Thinking’ - to get people to relate to it as a life altering competency & not a mere routine survival activity & view ‘Thinking Clearly’ as the acceptable standard of our thinking effort. It explains why we don’t think clearly & seeks to make our thinking efforts more effective & productive. It does that by sharing a set of perspectives, actionable guidelines & practices that support Thinking Clearly. It further encourages people to apply the TOC insights & the relevant tools to a wider range of problems - on both professional and personal fronts. This will help participants make correct choices and decisions in their areas of interest, and thereby enjoy a full life, as envisioned by Eli.