Bias

What Holds Back Innovation

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Reading Time: 10 minutes The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. Sherlock Holmes  For at least five millennia, we used wheels for transportation, from carts to cars, trains, pushchairs, bicycles, etc. Across ages, we also had heavy trunks to carry luggage. To help with the workload of carrying bags, we used carts with wheels to transport them because wheeling bags was much easier than lugging them. But still, for all the creative minds and visionaries that humankind had across centuries, it …

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Playing Stereotypes: How We Assign Gender Roles to Children

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Reading Time: 10 minutes Note: This article concentrates on male/female gender roles and not on the broad spectrum of gender identity. Gender expectations start before babies are born. It is not unusual for fathers to want a son to play sports together and mothers to want a daughter to doll up. While pregnant, I told a lady in the tram that I am expecting a baby girl. She told me to count myself lucky as daughters are more inclined to keep in touch with family after leaving the nest. …

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Colours and Gender Bias: The History Behind The Pink Versus Blue Debate

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Reading Time: 6 minutes More often than not, marketers rely on a simple concept to create products designed for women, “pink it and shrink it”. This strategy involves taking an everyday product, paint in pink and making it smaller: razors, clothing, earbuds, technical gear, toolsets, notebooks, pens, etc. Then we have the Pink Tax, gender-based price discrimination where identical products are priced differently based on the targeted gender.  Boots had to correct their prices on toiletries and charge men and women equally. A study compared different industries, such as toys, clothing, …

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Metaphorical Thinking – Introduction

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Reading Time: 7 minutes Metaphorical Thinking – Introduction Metaphorical Thinking – the Cloud Metaphors Metaphorical Thinking – the Guest Metaphor Metaphorical Thinking – the Web Metaphors The Greek word of μεταπερειν translates in English as metapherein, the root word for metaphor. Metapherein is composed of meta (over, across, higher, beyond) and pherein (to bear or carry). A metaphor carries meaning from one word, expression, or image to another, connecting the two concepts. Hence, the word metaphor is itself a metaphor.  The metaphorical language consists of metaphors, similes, analogies, …

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Shoshin, the Zen Concept that Applies to Companies, Science and Personal Development

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Reading Time: 7 minutes “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.”  Zen master Shunryo Suzuki  In Zen Buddhism, “shoshin” translates as the “beginner’s mind”, where “sho” means beginning or origin, and “shin” means spirit, soul, or attitude.  A beginner’s mind is different from being a beginner. Shoshin is about having the attitude and mindset of a novice who learns a new practice for the first time, especially after reaching expert levels in our fields.    In the beginner’s mind, there is a lack of preconceptions, a willingness to learn, to ask and try, …

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