The Forgotten Half of Change: Achieving Greater Creativity Through Changes in Perception

by Luc de Brabandere

Best-selling author of Thinking in New Boxes and Fellow in a $5 billion international consulting firm, BCG, Luc de Brabandere shares the secrets to change that are not just vital to businesses, but life itself.

Throughout history, human beings have adapted to improve their lives and shape the world as we know it. But as the world changes, so must our perception of it—even what we create.

Using approachable, witty, and engaging examples from philosophy, science, technology and linguistics, Luc de Brabandere explores the dangers, both in business and in life, of relying on habit and repetition. Behaviors that work for us one day may not the next. To truly move forward, we must not just embrace what works, but constantly explore what could work better.

This constant exploration is what drives change, inspires creativity, and fosters dynamic strategy in all facets of life, especially business, where innovation and out-of-the-box thinking has led and will lead to humankind’s greatest tomorrows.

Both a clever and eye-opening guide and an invaluable vault of knowledge, The Forgotten Half of Change provides tools for strategic management that adapt to the test of time.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2005

Reviews

[Nupur Netan Sachdeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book written by a partner in the Boston Consulting Group. M Luc de Brabandere is undoubtedly a business innovation expert and this book drew me in with an interesting premise. He theorises (and then goes on to prove) that change occurs on two different levels. One is a change in reality which is easy(ish) to observe and happens continuously in the world around us. This is the more obvious change that everyone talks of and tries to adapt to.
The second level, which is the more tricky one, is a change in perception. The discontinuous breaks in how we perceive the world that truly unleash creativity.

He shared very interesting insights and examples of concepts in creativity. Made me wonder if I’d be better off owning this book and referring to it on an ongoing basis, rather than borrowing it from the library! Given the author’s background, it’s no surprise that he has come across very interesting ideas. And at his level as an experienced consultant, his thought process is bound to be articulate.

But there were a lot of points in the book where I felt he was just trying to cram too much in there. It seems to be a case of trying to compress a lifetime’s worth of learning and experiences in a few hundred pages. There are so many passages worth highlighting that I eventually lost track of some (if not most) of the key concepts. Overall, I’d say I enjoyed the book but it’s not as much of a ‘must-read’ as I thought it would be.

[Raghav Mithare · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read recently. Practical and full of insights. Luc has done excellent work of distilling the wisdom of great thinkers and presenting it in a way that is relevant in our context. Some examples might look out of date but the underlying message is timeless. I highly recommend for professionals interested in consulting, change management, agile transformation.

[Ain Aaviksoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophy is good. Indoctrinating is a bit annoying.
Perhaps the editor asked a brilliant thinker to be "practical" and tell people, what exactly should they "do" with his observations.

I still enjoyed the book a lot (even after seeing a presentation by Mr Brabandere on the very topic, which appeared to be one of the most inspiring and persuasive one I've ever experienced at any conference). However, don't let yourself fooled by the cookbook style guide in the final chapter - the ideas have many more application options. Especially if you add to it your own experience and ideas. Be creative, as the author suggests
;-)