Is messiness actually the breeding ground for more than just chaos?
Using research from neuroscience, psychology, social science, as well as captivating examples of real people doing extraordinary things, renowned ‘Undercover Economist’ Tim Harford explains that the human qualities we value: creativity, responsiveness, and resilience, are integral to the disorder, confusion, and disarray that produce them.
From the music studio of Brian Eno to the Lincoln Memorial with Martin Luther King, Jr., from the board room to the classroom, messiness lies at the core of how we innovate, how we achieve, how we reach each other - in short, how we succeed.
Harford visits the RSA to help us understand why unexpected changes of plans, unfamiliar people, and unforeseen events can help generate new ideas and opportunities as they make us anxious and angry; and come to appreciate that the human inclination for tidiness in our personal and professional lives masks deep and debilitating fragility that keep us from innovation.
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Hello Tim, it's great to see economists embracing this approach to life. I guess you are familiar with W.Brian Arthur's work on complexity economics? Unfortunately I'm not in the UK when you give this talk, so I will view it online. I'd love to be in conversation with you, and see where it goes :-) I'm an executive coach and facilitator with a deep interest and experience in the areas you talk about, working with organisations and individuals to become more creative and adaptable to "reality", rather than what we would like it to be.
All the best,
Asha