Time Horizons
The maximum time span a person can work with - that person's maximum achieved time span - measures and defines that person's level of cognitive power.
Elliot Jaques
Elliot Jaques is a British sociologist who has spent over
30 years researching time and how what a person thinks about time effects
their job competence. In his book Levels of Abstraction in Logic and
Human Action, he identifies seven "time horizons" and how they fit
with traditional business job descriptions. (A "time horizon" is the maximum
time span a person can comfortably work with.) His findings were as follows: The most dramatic finding in Jaques studies was that people
who could sustain a time horizon of ten years or more were the "rule makers"
for all those in levels 1-4. By encouraging their brains to tolerate ambiguity
and establish their own criteria and vision for living, that vision was
often taken up by all those with shorter time horizons and lower tolerance
for chaos and the unknown. Today's Experiment: 2. Choose at least three people you know and/or work with
and guesstimate their time horizons, based on what you can observe and
infer in the way they live their lives. Bear in mind that a strong desire
for order is generally a sign of a shorter time horizon. If you're up
for it, think of at least one person who exemplifies each of the seven
time horizons listed above. 3. Whatever your current time horizon, spend a few minutes
today exploring the next furthest time horizon on the list. Daydream about
what your life will be like, what you would like your life to be like,
and what the world will be like in that expanded time frame. Over time, as you expand your vision, you will find your
ability to "think outside the box" and antcipate the future expands with
it. Remember, the power to predict is the power to change
- greater happiness and success may be just a time horizon away!
1. Three Months or less
Shop floor personnel
2. Up to a year
Section head
3. Up to two years
Group head
4. Up to five years
General manager
5. Up to ten years
Subsidiary head
6. Up to twenty years
Group head
7. Up to fifty years and beyond
CEO
1. Determine your own current time horizon. How far out into the future
do you see? If you have goals, what is the average time frame for their
achievement? Remember that a little bit of self-honesty will go a long
way - if you don't like your reality you can change it; if you don't see
your reality you are stuck in it (as any goldfish will tell you!)
