The term “paradigm” was first coined by Thomas Kuhn in his seminal book published in 1962, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. In the late 1980’s, Kuhn’s wisdom around paradigms (developed in the field of science) was brought into the domain of business and beyond by Joel Barker.

In his book, Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future, Barker describes a paradigm as: 

A set of rules and regulations, written or unwritten, that do two things:
1. It establishes or defines boundaries, and
2. It tells you how to behave inside the boundaries in order to be successful.

Joel Barker, Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future

I appreciate how Barker defines success:

For most situations, success is easily measured by your ability to solve problems, problems from trivial to profound.

Joel Barker, Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future

Relax, It’s Only a Game!

The term “paradigm” can feel a bit abstract and hard to comprehend (I’m still chewing on the concept), but Joel Barker explains that a paradigm is like a game…

“A paradigm, in a sense, tells you that there is a game, what the game is, and how to play it successfully. The idea of a game is a very appropriate metaphor for paradigms because it reflects the need for borders and directions on how to perform correctly. A paradigm tells you to play the game according to the rules.”

Joel Barker, Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future

So there we have it! A light foundation of “What’s a paradigm?” Be sure to check out the next post, “What’s a Paradigm Shift?”

Key Takeaways:

  • Paradigms (1) define boundaries, and (2) tell us how to behave in order to be successful. 
  • A useful metaphor for paradigms is a game. (“A paradigm tells you that there is a game, what the game is, and how to play it successfully.” ~Joel Barker) 
  • Paradigms help people know (1) what to focus on, and (2) how to act to successfully solve problems.

Works Referenced: