Embrace heterodoxy
August 6th, 2006
This is #5 on my list of favorite items from We Have Always Done It That Way: 101 Things About Associations We Must Change, the new book by Five Independent Thinkers.
By circumstance, tradition or choice, associations often operate as masters of orthodoxy–the de jure or de facto enforcers of accepted ways of thinking and acting within the industries, professions and fields they serve. Through certification programs, licensing, standards and other mechanisms, associations can create near impenetrable boundaries around what professionals in those fields must, should or can know. In some respects, this is an appropriate and vital function, especially in fields in which lives are at stake.
Yet when associations place a higher priority on preserving and protecting what is known above exploring and understanding what is unknown, they may try to thwart the emergence of significant breakthroughs in learning and the creation of new knowledge. Associations operating as masters of orthodoxy may exclude, with or without sinister intent, divergent viewpoints that directly question accepted beliefs and conventional wisdom. But in a time of genuine paradigm shift, the tools for creating and sharing new ideas and knowledge are in the hands of many—including quite capable creators who are purely amateurs in their fields. Associations have no choice but to break down the boundaries they’ve created over many decades and open themselves to ideas that they might otherwise categorically reject, as well as the “dissidents” who propose them.
Heterodoxy is defined as “any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position.” In the 21st century, associations will need to create new intellectual frameworks and environments that actively and consistently engage the broad spectrum of agreed-upon and profoundly controversial views in their fields. Embracing heterodoxy must become the new association tradition.
Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, Announcements, What's New?, Social Media, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, We Have Always Done It That Way
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