Empiricism makes everything better
Empiricism, at its core, is the idea that our beliefs should be grounded in evidence derived from observation and experience. While both empiricism and rational reasoning play a role in how we come to understand the world, it is empirical thinking that has driven much of human progress, from scientific discovery to technological advancement. In an organisational context, this mindset translates into a commitment to seeing reality as it is, rather than as we would prefer it to be. Where empiricism is absent, decisions tend to be driven by hierarchy, intuition, or narrative rather than evidence, leading to persistent blind spots and ineffective execution. Practising empiricism, however, is not straightforward. It requires a culture that values truth over comfort, access to reliable data and meaningful measurement, and a degree of intellectual humility that is often at odds with incentives in many organisations. Despite these challenges, grounding decisions in evidence, continuously testing assumptions, and updating beliefs in light of new information remains one of the most effective ways to improve both individual judgement and organisational performance.
The Yahaba Technique
The Yahaba technique is a simple but powerful way to bring the perspective of future stakeholders into present-day decision-making. Inspired by an experiment in Japan where participants were asked to represent future generations, the approach involves assigning some members of a decision-making group to act as advocates for the people who will live with the consequences of today’s choices. In practice, this helps organisations surface long-term risks and trade-offs that are often overlooked in the pressure to deliver short-term results. By explicitly introducing a “future voice” into discussions, teams are better able to balance immediate priorities with longer-term sustainability, whether in strategy, technology, or organisational design. The technique is lightweight and adaptable, but its effectiveness depends on participants engaging seriously with the exercise and being willing to challenge assumptions. While it is not a complete solution, even a modest application of Yahaba thinking can significantly improve the quality of decisions by making the long-term more tangible and harder to ignore.
How I think about: Uncertainty
Uncertainty is a fundamental feature of both the world and the organisations we operate in, yet we are naturally inclined to resist it. We seek control through planning, analysis, and prediction, often underestimating how limited that control really is. In practice, uncertainty takes multiple forms, from gaps in knowledge (epistemic) to irreducible randomness (aleatory), as well as differences in understanding (ontological) and meaning (semantic). Treating all uncertainty as something that can simply be “reduced” leads to wasted effort and poor decisions. Instead, effective organisations learn to recognise the type of uncertainty they are dealing with, assess whether it is worth reducing, and invest accordingly. Just as importantly, they build the capability to operate under uncertainty by improving adaptability, decision-making, and systemic resilience. Rather than attempting to eliminate uncertainty entirely, the goal is to understand it, manage it, and where possible, use it to uncover opportunities.