The World Isn't Boolean, So Why Are Businesses?

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Computers work on a kind of strict logic at a high enough level of abstraction. You have NOT, AND, OR and XOR gates determining which calculations get done, and which don't. But if you drill down to the level of the transistor, nature begins to take over again. Electrons often jump from one place to another or don't show up where expected at all.

This lesson has profound implications for businesses. Many operate in terms of strict binaries, whereas the real world is shades of gray and full of weird nuances and strange coincidences.

Why Businesses Are Binary

Businesses are binary for several reasons, the most obvious being the need for clarity and decision-making. Companies worry that if they vacillate, they will never get to where they want to go.

Operational simplicity also plays a role. It's easier to have a binary setup that relies on a simple formula than it is to tell people to “use their judgment” or make calls based on instinct.

Risk aversion is obviously a big part of the story as well. Managers know that if they don't behave in a binary, clear-cut manner, they could be on the chopping block.

Why The World Isn't Binary And Businesses Should Adapt

Unfortunately for companies who think in Boolean terms, the world isn't binary. That's just not how it functions.

Take people, for example, they want a personalized experience, not binary options that alienate them and make them feel like they're talking to a computer.

Complex problems are also irreducible to binary or logical outcomes in many situations. So many factors come together in a complex system, like a business, that it's just not possible to provide a simple approach or solution.

Binaries also have a nasty habit of annihilating creativity (everyone knows what so-called “black and white” thinkers are like). When companies only see the world in one particular way, it prevents them from looking at it in another. Yes, data is important. But as anyone who gets deep into the weeds will tell you, it can only take you so far.

How Businesses Can Embrace The Power Of Fuzzy Logic And Uncertainty

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Given the world we live in has the element of “surprise” as something fundamental in it, how can businesses embrace this reality?

One option is to invest in AI that doesn't require binary inputs and outputs. Many business leaders are now asking, what is fuzzy search? They want solutions that get the gist of what their customers are saying without forcing them to spell it out exactly.

Another approach is to give people in your organization more power. If you can provide flexible decision-making frameworks for them, they are less likely to be formulaic and could serve your business better. You're not trying to constrain them in a straightjacket through fear of what they might do next.

Fostering a culture that understands nuance can also help with this. Sometimes taking two steps forward requires a business to take one step back, losing in the short term to win over the long haul.