Philosophy

We believe that work on developing a solution can only begin once the nature of a strategic management problem has been fully understood.

One of the 20th Century’s great philosophers of science, Karl Popper, had something to say about working on problems.

Karl Popper also warned against trying to define a problem while burdened with preconceptions. Properly defining a problem involves stripping away preconceptions. This is an essential part of our methodology. It allows us a clarity of vision and strongly individualised approach.

Once the problem is fully understood, we can start doing the groundwork.

“...when we speak of a problem we do so almost always from hindsight. A man who works on a problem can seldom say clearly what his problem is (unless he has found the solution); even if he can explain his problem, he may mistake it.”
Popper, Karl 1975 Objective Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach. Clarendon Press, Oxford.

“…in almost every phase of ... development ... we are under the sway of ... untestable - ideas; ideas which not only determine what problems of explanation we shall choose to attack, but also what kinds of answers we shall consider as fitting or satisfactory or acceptable, and as improvements of, or advances on, earlier answers… [These preconceived ideas and solutions] are only occasionally discussed as such: more often, they are implicit in the theories and in the attitude and judgements of the [decision makers] ...”
Popper, Karl 1992 The Postscript to the Logic of Scientific Discovery: Quantum Theory and the Schism in Physics. Routledge, London.

Our consulting project methods ensure preconceived ideas don't get in the way of successful outcomes