Affected

Preface

This book was built on friendship — a friendship that started more than a decade ago in a classroom. From our beginnings as the keen, green lecturer and the dedicated student, we have worked together ever since — today as colleagues. Nicknaming ourselves ‘Team Foxtail’, we were at times forced to downplay our hybrid research to not upset the product-centric discipline in which we once resided.

The nickname comes from British philosopher Isaiah Berlin’s parable of the Hedgehog and the Fox. Inspired by Greek poet Archilochus’s statement that ‘the Fox knows many things, but the Hedgehog knows one big thing.’ Berlin stated that people fall into two categories: Hedgehogs, who view the world through a single defining idea, and Foxes, who draw upon wide experiences, and for whom the world is not black and white. The strength of the Hedgehog is his focus on a singular, central vision; the strength of the Fox is his flexibility and openness to complexity. The Hedgehog never wavers or doubts; the Fox is more cautious and more pragmatic.

This concept is a great way to illustrate the problems in business today, where what leaders think matters far less than how they think. Hedgehogs stay focused and disciplined, and there is no doubt that in the past this has led to success in business. However, Hedgehogs’ tendency to ignore what is going on around them can mean that any long-term advantage crumbles. We need more Foxes to lead organisations. Complex thinkers can see game changers ...