The Power of Surprise

The observation of Dewey that life is a series of interruptions and recoveries (Dewey, 2003) has been used in several articles on this blog. The notion is that we use habits and heuristics to develop routines which allow us to cope with everyday life (Thompson, 2014, Merlot-Ponty, 1945). The benefit of routines is that allows us to put certain functions on autopilot so that we can allocate our limited physical and emotional resources on particularly demanding tasks (Kahneman, 2011).

However, sometimes we are surprised. Surprises interrupt our routines and force us to reexamine our expectations, and therefore develop modified expectations and sophisticate our routines. We may be surprised whilst carrying out a plan, and because of this surprise develop a modification while deepening our understanding of a situation which we previously took for granted. What we do not always do is share our surprises, especially with a focus on sharing insights (Hoffman and Klein, 2017).

Surprises tell us a lot. They reveal the limits of expectations and the limits of current coping strategies. It is for this reason that when we are attempting to learn from someone about something specific, for example, whether that is how to get from A to B, how to negotiate effectively on a difficult subject or carry out a work-based task, we should ask the person who has achieved this-

What was your plan?

Did anything surprise you while carrying out your plan? What was it?

Did you modify the plan based on the surprise?

The answers to these questions reveal when expectations were violated, and how they were managed. You gain insight not just into the task, but how to manage surprise in this context.

For example, if you were interested in gaining knowledge about how to negotiate on a difficult subject, the person you are asking about their recent experience may identify how they were surprised about how emotionally charged the situation became. As a result, the person you are asking recounted how they took three deep breaths and focused on maintaining their point. This questioning reveals two key points.

Firstly, something to be prepared for, in the example, the situation may become more emotionally charged than expected, do not expect it to play out as you imagine. Secondly, a potential method for dealing with this situation, taking deep breaths, and staying focused on your goals. That approach may or may not work for you, yet it could provide insight into another method of re-focusing you could use.

Reading

Merlot Ponty, M. (1945) Phenomenology of Perception. Routledge

Dewey, J (2003) How We Think. Dover Publications Inc.; New edition

Thompson, E (2014) Mind in Life. Belknapp Harvard.

Kahneman, D (2011) Thinking Fast and Slow. Penguin.

Hoffman, R. R., & Klein, G. (2017, May). Explaining explanation, part 1: Theoretical foundations. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 32(3), 2-7.