Role as a Model of Thinking
An ordinary person acts intuitively or based on experience, and their role-based behavior is shaped by the theory that was instilled in them earlier[1]. We often say that a person acts according to their worldviews.
A worldview can be shaped by scientific theory or by a grandmother’s superstition. Scientific theories and disciplines provide a better description of role-based behavior, but non-scientific worldviews are simpler and therefore more popular with most people. When we talk about an engineer’s worldview, we primarily mean the engineering methods they learned at university and later developed through their professional work.
A conscious approach to learning professional roles involves adopting the relevant practices. You could say that a person instills a discipline in their mind and masters the skill of using tools (technologies). For example, a driver learns the rules of transportation operations and practices driving a vehicle. The rules are the theory (discipline), and the vehicle is the tool. After that, we can say the person has mastered the role of driver—that is, they have learned the practice of “driving a vehicle,” through which they produce a work artifact: a transported physical object (people, cargo).
This way of thinking applies to all actions a person takes, not only at work but also in personal life. For example, you can identify the roles of son, caregiver, student, motivator, dish washer, room cleaner, subway passenger, and so on. We consider these just as we do professional roles, paying attention to methods (theories, technologies, and work artifacts).
Role-based consideration allows you to give special or formal attention[2] to your own behavior. For example, when learning to swim, we understand that we need to master the technique (method, practice) of the front crawl, and then we can professionally perform the role of a front crawl swimmer[3]. In critical situations when raising children, you shouldn’t follow bad habits or get nervous; instead, by recalling the role of caregiver, you can look for a good method to use in communicating with your child.
When you start studying, it helps to understand what practices a student has or what it means to have the skill of learning. The concept of “role” allows you to turn unconscious actions into conscious ones—that is, to focus on formal objects of attention (method, system, other roles, etc.). Usually, people learn unconsciously; they cannot name formal learning methods (practices)—that is, how or with which practices they are learning.
Think about which methods you use to learn. And, for example, why the first homework assignment in the course mentioned systematic reading and monitoring information consumption, the Pomodoro method and investment and time management, thinking through writing, and thinking by speaking. In this way, the main practices of the student role were listed[4].
However, we don’t always need to be conscious and formal in considering our actions. Behavioral automatisms save attention, so we perform some roles unconsciously. For example, when we brush our teeth or take a shower. If we don’t want to change our behavior or the world around us, there’s no need to burden ourselves with role-based consideration. But if we need to establish or change the process of brushing our teeth, we should consciously identify the role of tooth brusher and find the best method for oral hygiene. After that, we work on mastering the tools—toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, irrigator. Then we bring this role-based behavior to the level of automatism.
Changing your behavior is literally changing your thinking (mastering new techniques), and to do this, you need to pay attention to your actions. The concept of “role” as a thinking model makes this possible, and thinking mastery helps you find and quickly adopt the necessary applied practice.
It’s important to understand that behind every project role there is a method (practice) and a work artifact. When we refer to a person by their role, we are simultaneously identifying a whole class of practices through which the role produces work artifacts. For example, for the role of swimmer, we immediately identify possible classes of practices—front crawl, breaststroke, butterfly. When talking about an entrepreneur, we have in mind other practices—Business Model Canvas, Lean Startup, Lean Canvas, and others. I hope you already understand that every role has a large number of practices: unique ones for a surgeon, operations manager, financier, engineer, architect, caregiver, and so on.
In ancient times, masters simply did their work and rarely thought about strictly formalizing their actions. Nevertheless, unique historical objects were created. However, the complexity of the modern world is entirely different, and thanks to the formalization of work methods, more people can become masters of their craft, and humanity as a whole can create a greater number of successful systems.
Without role-based consideration, it is impossible to cope with the complexity of the current stage of human development. A modern person will always be in demand if they are constantly learning and retraining in a timely manner. Systems thinking is a way to formalize the actions and behavior of numerous interested people. The concept of “role” is the key concept for such formalization.
A person can unconsciously absorb theory through interactions with others. Often, people learn unconsciously, taking in information from their surroundings or imitating someone they consider an authority. ↩︎
This means highlighting the theory with its concepts, principles, etc. ↩︎
Note that the text intentionally uses the terms “role,” “method,” and “role-based behavior” side by side. You need to train your mind to distinguish these concepts, just as you distinguish other classes of concepts. For example, you don’t confuse furniture and colors. You can discuss chairs, tables, and cabinets separately from their colors, sizes, etc. This type classifier/cognitive type machine develops in a person over a lifetime, but with targeted training, you can significantly speed up the process. Both “time on task” and quality training (which reduces the required time) are important. For more on the type classifier/cognitive type machine, see the textbook “Systems Thinking.” ↩︎
All of these are covered in detail in the course “Practices of Self-Development.” ↩︎