I said I don’t classify all statements labelled as principles as principles – to not offend, I use the term Fundamental Principles.
I defined Goldratt’s method of standing on the shoulder of giants.
I chose Dr Covey’s work on principles as the true controlling aspects of human effectiveness as a study for standing on the shoulder of giants.
I showed that I looked in depth at Dr Covey’s work – and others.
Now, I need to explain the missing piece before I share my list of fundamental principles.
The definition of principle I use is:
Fundamental principles express what people are or have and serve as the foundation for a chain of reasoning to support human effectiveness.
Andreas A Landman
The missing piece, is the “chain of reasoning”.
Dr Eli Goldratt, Dr Lisa Scheinkopf, and Jelena Fedurko Cohen espoused the foundation of the chain of reasoning through the thinking processes. Entities are related to each other by sufficiency or necessity logic.
In building the chain of reasoning to support human effectiveness, I rely on sufficiency logic. Sufficiency logic is expressed by If A and B then C type sentences.
I will not go into how to use the sufficiency logic. Rest assured I poured over the list of principles and looked for the links and found many links. All in the hope of finding the bottom principles – the fundamental principles.
In the process of building the chain of reasoning, I weeded out many so-called principles and false connections, or connections that need a longer explanation. The way of doing that is called applying the categories of legitimate reservation.
The categories of legitimate reservation strengthen the logic by giving it a process.
Does the cause or effect really exist?
Does the cause really result in the effect?
Are the cause and result different, or the same but with different words?
Does the cause exist? This can be proven by showing that another effect does exist as well.
Is the cause sufficient to result in the effect on its own?
Is there another cause that will also result in the effect?
Is the cause, effect or connection clearly expressed?
So, there you have it. Standing on the shoulder of giants with new methods allows me to make bold statements . . .
The following is a list of principles mentioned in the referenced books. The list is crude because it conveys the list with minimal filtering and thought:
Renewal is the principle—and the process—that empowers us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change, of continuous improvement
The principle that all things are created twice There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation, to all things
Private Victory precedes Public Victory Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation of good relationships with others
The idea that we are embryonic and can grow and develop and release more and more potential, develop more and more talents
P/PC Balance – The PC principle is to always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers
Principle of making what is important to the other person as important to you as the other person is to you
Understand nature’s practical lessons – No pain no gain – Push one’s limits to gain strength
Agree on the desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability and consequences
Frankel – Proactivity: Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose
Pareto Principle—80 percent of the results flow out of 20 percent of the activities
The dominant, central theme of their activities, the underlying principle, is love
When the priorities receive the first energy, there is energy to do the priorities
Synergy – the principle of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts
Evolving is life’s greatest accomplishment and its greatest reward
You can’t talk yourself out if a problem you behave yourself into
Delegation – Hold people accountable for results not methods
Cooperation and long-term personal and interpersonal growth
The process of releasing potential and developing talents
You always reap what you sow – see the law of the harvest
An agreement must be win-win or it will end up lose-lose
One cannot wholly focus on more than one thing at a time
The principle that people are more important than things
Look to nature to learn how reality works – Grow or die
Vision tells you what is important – where to focus
You are accountable for the results of your actions
Radically open-minded and radically transparent
Seek first to understand, then to be understood
You can’t have trust without being trustworthy
Temperance – moderation and self-restraint
Look at the machine from the higher level
Weigh second and third order consequences
A Rock-Solid Interpersonal Relationship
It takes discipline to act consistently
You are responsible for you own actions
Actions are more important than words
Separate the people from the problem
Insist on using objective criteria
Focus on interests, not positions
Commitment is required to finish
Invent options for mutual gain
The Principle of Contribution
Agreement on Success Factors
Pain + reflection = Progress
The Principle of Reputation
You can take the initiative
You must use your resources
The Principle of Alignment
It takes energy to focus
Principle of the harvest
Clarity of Expectations
You choose your actions
Continuous improvement
Integrity – self-unity
A Culture of Feedback
A Foundation of Trust
Extending Smart Trust
Making a contribution
Proportional response
Quality or excellence
Mutual understanding
Principle of process
Purpose gives energy
You are accountable
Be a hyperrealist
Live and let live
Own your outcomes
Win-Win principle
Resourcefulness
Self-discipline
Accountability
Mutual benefit
Prioritization
Responsibility
Encouragement
Human dignity
Consistency
Flexibility
Commitment
Creativity
Discipline
Engagement
Generosity
Initiative
Nurturance
Abundance
Diversity
Integrity
Potential
Fairness
Humility
Kindness
Leverage
Patience
Balance
Charity
Courage
Dignity
Empathy
Honesty
Justice
Purpose
Quality
Respect
Service
Choice
Equity
Growth
Vision
Focus
Trust
Truth
Congratulations! You scrolled all the way down here.
Again – the list of principles above is true and good. I maintain that it is useful to look for fundamental principles:
Fundamental principles express what people are or have and serve as the foundation for a chain of reasoning to support human effectiveness.
Identify a “giant”. Intuition will guide you to an important enough subject for you.
Identify the enormity of the area not addressed by the giant. Reality gives the signals that so much more can be done. You are aiming for a broader, not a more confined, area than what was addressed by the giant.
Get on the giant’s shoulders. Gain the historical perspective – understand the giant’s solution better than he did.
Identify the conceptual difference between the reality that was improved so dramatically by the giant and the area untouched.
Identify the wrong assumption.
Conduct the full analysis to determine the core problem, solution, etc.
In looking for fundamental principles of human effectiveness, I identify Dr Stephen R Covey as the giant on whose shoulders I wish to stand and look more broadly at the concept of principles. Step 1 was easy enough.
According to my understanding of Dr Covey’s work on human effectiveness, human effectiveness is based on the concept that principles are in control.
Most readers of his work brush over the concept of principles to get to practices – which, I believe, is not what he intended. Step 3 is nearly impossible – I will fudge it until I make it.
People have bought into the seven habits of highly effective people without necessarily buying into the concept of principles. Mainly because the word principle is used for a host of non-principle matters. Step 4 is the gist of my endeavour.
The assumption that I aim to address is the assumption that people know how to go from principles to their everyday lives. People might be seen as rational beings but are not logical beings. Step 5 is easy enough.
Dr Goldratt and the TOC contributors provided us with logical thinking tools to gain that knowledge. Therefore, I build on the assumption that one can build on fundamental principles towards effectiveness. The development of the logical thinking processes leads me to think that we can make progress in understanding human effectiveness. Some more of Step 5.
Many others also mention Principles, but those “principles” do not fit with the concept Dr Covey shares – other authors refer to practices as principles. I have given the concept of principles some thought. The concept of a “principle”, it turns out, is not an easy one.
Looking at Product Management, Brandon Chu also approached this subject recently. Despite a valiant attempt, I think he fell short. This is my opinion and does not reflect on the value of the ideas he conveys, just that I disagree that the term principle is applicable to his writing.
Oxford Dictionary: “Principle – a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning.” I attempt to display the words in the picture above.
From the definition I deduce that
Not all statements are principles.
Not all platitudes are principles.
Not all ideas/terms/sayings are principles.
Not all values are principles. Values flow from principles.
Furthermore, the name of the principle does not always say what the principle is. The principle requires an explanation, which allows one to build a link from the principle towards behaviour or understanding, and the consequences one can expect from violating or adhering to the principle.
Principles can only be defined within a certain context to build a system of belief regarding that context. The context is a system.
Principles, as far as Covey is concerned, are timeless, universal, self-evident and in operation whether we accept or understand them or not.
Dr Covey’s material deals with Human effectiveness in personal and work life.
Therefore, for principles in this context to be sensibly described, they must link the name of the principle to the values/beliefs/behaviour/habit of human effectiveness.
The context that I choose for principles is not chemistry, physics, or mathematics – if such principle were available.
I choose the context or system to be human effectiveness in personal and work life.
To soften the claim that most principles are not principles, I propose the use of the term “Fundamental Principle”.
The time has come to put together a working definition that will guide me through several posts:
Fundamental principles express what people are or have and serve as the foundation for a chain of reasoning to support human effectiveness.
Therefore, grammatically at least, a fundamental principle will not describe what people do. As an example, when someone claims that they are mentioning a fundamental principle, and describe a human action, they are indeed not discussing a fundamental principle.
Now I will go back and apply this definition to my thoughts before I share a list of fundamental principles and disagree with myself in public.
Green Octahedron Blogging 