Disjoint Concept Vocabularies

A personal vocabulary is the set of words we understand, use, or both use and understand. We can provide definitions easily for the words we're most familiar with, and for the rest, we can provide definitions with varying degrees of struggle. A broad vocabulary gives us tools for expressing complex ideas simply, clearly, and with elegance. It enables us to distinguish similar ideas that differ in subtle ways.

Vocabulary is the basis of expressive power. With a diverse vocabulary comes the ability to transfer our thoughts to others, when those others are open to receiving them.

A concept vocabulary is a like a verbal vocabulary, but it's an extension of verbal vocabulary to the vast world of concepts. For example, a concept vocabulary for the causes of diseases in humans might include malnutrition, toxins, bacteria, viruses, radiation, prions, and undoubtedly much more. Finding methods for preventing diseases would be difficult without these concepts.

When parties work to resolve disputes or solve problems together, they each bring to the exchange their own personal and professional concept vocabularies. The portions of their concept vocabularies that are relevant to the exchange are those that pertain to the domain of the problem they're solving.

But difficulties can arise when the parties' respective concept vocabularies are disjoint — when the overlap of the concept vocabularies of the parties is narrow. For example, a proposed solution might seem clear and workable to one party. But if it's expressed in terms of concepts that aren't in the concept vocabulary of the other party, agreement and unified action will likely remain out of reach.

One method for addressing this problem is particularly ineffective. We might call it "Inflicting Education." In the Inflicting Education approach, Party A tries to explain to Party B some concepts that A feels B doesn't understand. In response, B does likewise to A.

In this dance, both parties focus on clarifying to each other what each one already knows. A more effective approach might be for each to try to express their views in terms of the concept vocabulary of the other. But that can be difficult if their respective grasps of each other's concept vocabularies are limited.

That's why it's useful to have tools for expanding the overlap between respective concept vocabularies of people and groups that are engaged in joint problem solving. What follows is the start of such a toolkit.

Expand your concept vocabulary by assimilation

Learn what you can of your partner's concept vocabulary. That might be difficult if you're on your own, but fortunately, people who are in the mode of Inflicting Education are very willing to provide whatever information you require.

A systematic A concept vocabulary for a field
of knowledge is the set of
concepts that practitioners
use to solve problems in
that field of knowledgeapproach can be very helpful. Recognize that some items in your partner's concept vocabulary are also in your own, albeit under different names. And some items in one concept vocabulary have no equivalent in the other. Finding items in your partner's concept vocabulary that have no equivalent in your own can be especially helpful.

Expand your concept vocabulary by compounding

Compounding is the process of combining two or more concepts to make a new one. For example, if a concept vocabulary contains the concepts ice and sculpture, compounding them produces the concept ice sculpture.

Probably both parties will have already harvested any valuable compound concepts from within their own respective concept vocabularies. But compounds involving concepts from both vocabularies can be entirely new. For example, software testers have a concept known as exploratory testing. Marketers have a concept they call Test Marketing. Software testers and Marketers could therefore have a potentially fertile exchange of ideas to determine what each might learn from the other by seeking answers to the question, "What is exploratory test marketing?"

Identify misconceptions

Some elements of anyone's concept vocabulary might be misconceptions. They might be inaccurate, confused, or otherwise muddled. We might expect the incidence of misconceptions to be elevated when we're incorporating into our own vocabulary concepts from a vocabulary other than our own.

A useful exercise for a problem-solving group might be called Concept Exchange. Each party, in turn, offers a concept form its own concept vocabulary, along with its definition. Frequently, terminology might be familiar, but their definitions might not be. The main benefit of exercises like this is uncovering misconceptions.

A less direct method of exchanging concepts is to acquire a glossary for the fields of knowledge of your problem-solving partners. Then ask them to enlighten you about any concepts you found in that glossary, and which might be especially relevant to the issue at hand. If their understanding differs from what you found in the glossary, a misconception might be the cause. Oh, if you do this, be prepared to accept questions about your own concept vocabulary.

Finally, gather concept vocabularies from the fields of those with whom you regularly collaborate. Because these fields are those of greatest importance to you, these collections from other concept vocabularies are the concepts most relevant to your own work. Notice how many concepts have aliases in different vocabularies. When you find a concept in one vocabulary look for its analogs in other vocabularies.

By building expertise in multiple concept vocabularies, you enhance your ability to contribute to joint multidisciplinary problem-solving efforts. It's interesting, fun, and rewarding.  Top    Next Issue

Do you spend your days scurrying from meeting to meeting? Do you ever wonder if all these meetings are really necessary? (They aren't) Or whether there isn't some better way to get this work done? (There is) Read 101 Tips for Effective Meetings to learn how to make meetings much more productive and less stressful — and a lot more rare. Order Now!

Your comments are welcome

About Point Lookout

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Problem Solving and Creativity:

Backtracking in Incremental Problem Solving

Incremental problem solving is fashionable these days. Whether called evolutionary, incremental, or iterative, the approach entails unique risks. Managing those risks sometimes requires counterintuitive action.

How to Foresee the Foreseeable: Recognize Haste

When trouble arises after we commit to a course of action, we sometimes feel that the trouble was foreseeable. One technique for foreseeing the foreseeable depends on recognizing haste in the decision-making process.

The Paradox of Structure and Workplace Bullying

Structures of all kinds — organizations, domains of knowledge, cities, whatever — are both enabling and limiting. To gain more of the benefits of structure, while avoiding their limits, it helps to understand this paradox and learn to recognize its effects.

When Fixing It Doesn't Fix It: I

When complex systems misbehave, a common urge is to find any way at all to end the misbehavior. Succumbing to that urge can be a big mistake. Here's why we succumb.

Cassandra at Work

When a team makes a wrong choice, and only a tiny minority advocated for what turned out to have been the right choice, trouble can arise when the error at last becomes evident. Maintaining team cohesion can be a difficult challenge for team leaders.

See also Problem Solving and Creativity and Critical Thinking at Work for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming October 5: Downscoping Under Pressure: I

When projects overrun their budgets and/or schedules, we sometimes "downscope" to save time and money. The tactic can succeed — and fail. Three common anti-patterns involve politics, the sunk cost effect, and cognitive biases that distort estimates. Available here and by RSS on October 5.

And on October 12: Downscoping Under Pressure: II

We sometimes "downscope" projects to bring them back on budget and schedule when they're headed for overruns. Downscoping doesn't always work. Cognitive biases like the sunk cost effect and confirmation bias can distort decisions about how to downscope. Available here and by RSS on October 12.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrendbTtLLSVlUPPCNkAner@ChacthFxWKdRwnLylOCDoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

• Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
• Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
• Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
• Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
• Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
• Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info