The New Book “Digital Gaps” Chapter 1 Introduction: Cognitive Gaps

Cognition is the mental process of acquiring knowledge through thoughts, experiences, and senses. It is a perception, sensation, and insight. People are different, not because we look differently, but because we think differently. Cognitive gaps enlarge problem-solving gaps because it will cause the blind spots for either defining the real problem or solving it. Cognitive gaps cause innovation gaps which disconnect many things that are supposed to be interconnected, it becomes the barrier for connecting the dots to stimulate creativity. There is the multitude of perspectives on the cognitive gaps, as well as how to close them.
Critical thinking gap: Critical thinking is the mental process of conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach conclusion. Critical thinking is looking beyond the surface, not just accepting things at face value but asking questions and being active in your thought process. There are critical thinking gaps existing which cause leadership blind spots and poor decision-making. Because we all have a cognitive bias, it is no surprise to create the thinking gaps by imperfect people using imperfect processes via the narrow lenses. There are education gaps as well because there are very few real critical thinkers, critical thinking technique can be taught, but critical thinking capability can only be developed via practicing independent thinking, insightful observation, conscious and superconscious reasoning. The real critical thinking even has creativity embedded deeply in the thought processes, it has the ability to catch the trends and discover hidden connections. Hence, either organizations or education institutes today need to promote critical thinking, curiosity, and mental agility. They should recognize and appreciate the real critical thinkers who can fill the management blind spots or fill cognitive gaps in order to make the leap of digital transformation more confidently.
Understanding gap: Climbing knowledge-insight-wisdom pyramid is an important step in gaining understanding in a profound way. It requires a person’s ability to grasp or comprehend information. Too often assumptions and prejudices get in the way of understanding. Ironically, we probably all learned as kids: “Don’t judge the book by its cover,” but unfortunately, we do live in an increasingly “profiled” world that does judge a book by its cover. Hence, some say the understanding gap is even enlarged because each individual evolves into the “VUCA” digital normal at the different pace. Hence, it is the responsibility of each individual to examine themselves and make sure they are open to true understanding. It is unfortunate when we become so narrow in our view that we have to put others down, that is not understanding, this is not knowledge, this is ego. To close the understanding gap, we have to really dig beneath the superficial layer, see around the corner and transcend the interdisciplinary knowledge to get to the heart of the matter, be critical and creative at the same time, to dig into the root cause and solve the problem for advancing the business and our society.
Perception gap: Perception is one’s interpretation of the reality. It is the way one’s eyes see the surrounding and one’s mind interprets it. No two person’s realities will be totally identical at the giving time, out perception is, in turn, an interpretation based on our own conditioning, insight, or surroundings, leading us to make the judgement. People’s perception reflects who they are and which lens they apply to make the judgment of others. When we are “mindful,” we not only see but also perceive; we not only live but experience; this will have an effect on others and how we interact with the surrounding. One’s perception matters because it affects on how we are going to respond to “What happened,” and which influence we would make to the surrounds. So, the positive mind often has more positive thinking about the environment, but the out-of-date perception is like the time glue that keeps you still while the rest of the world moves on which creates another problem-resentment and more negative thinking and emotion. Often the conventional wisdom or stereotyping leads to those outdated perceptions which stifle the human progress, even drag down the progress being made. To close the perception gap, the mind needs to be open enough to embrace other minds’ perception as well, to always understand things via different angles. We should all sow the positive thoughts and creativity seeds to bridge perception gaps and make the leap of the digital transformation.
Due to the hyperconnected and over-complex nature of the digital era, it is time to fill multiple cognitive gaps and think more profoundly. There is no magical “thinking sauce” to make one’s mind profound, or leadership effective, you have to practice, practice, and practice more, to cultivate a healthy thinking habit, think positively, think broadly, think deeply, and thinking wisely. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu