It’s not what we know, but how we learn. This is the key that Learning to Read
the Signs uses in order to evaluate and apply ideas and facts to one’s
business life. The book asks the reader to go back to and reclaim
pragmatism: an activity of thought involving four parts: Investigation,
Hypothesis, Action, and Testing. Pragmatism is a method of interpretation or
inquiry which offers to the thoughtful business practitioner a way to better
understand the reality in which we operate, to think critically and creatively,
and for business people to think together to make the best use of all our
perspectives and talents. Questions raised in this book include: What are the
signs telling us? Where are we headed and why? Why are things going the
way they are? What is our purpose?
Examples abound of companies and organizations that have failed to "read
the signs": the automobile and the financial services industries are obvious
examples. Doing business successfully in the 21st century means becoming
aware of the filters that modify and limit business vision in our culture. Without
this awareness, many businesses will continue to fall into short-term reactive
thinking. In a world facing unprecedented social, environmental, and
economic challenges, learning to read the signs is a business imperative.
In this long-overdue and radical update to his seminal book, Ron Nahser turns
his attention to how pragmatism can be can be practiced by the management
of business, government, and non-profit organizations to create both success
and a better world for all.