UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVES
& POINTS OF VIEW
Group A
Michael Glynn
Quadeisha Daniels
Vanessa Dripaul
Anne Gage
INTRODUCTION
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Each one of us speaks and
acts through our own point
of view influenced by our
perspectives and
experiences.
Everything we read and
hear come from someone
else’s point of view.
Even our textbooks and
professors speak from
their own point of view
even though they have
experience and knowledge.
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Perspectives and
experience shape who we
are and our point of view
and although they may be
helpful to us, to other they
may mean nothing at all.
Points of view can be true
even though they are
contrasting because it is
the perspectives that
shape these points of view.
Since we cannot perceive
outside of our own
experiences it makes
understanding others
points of view difficult.
PERSPECTIVES, POINTS OF VIEW, AND
GOALS
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Besides perspectives and
experiences, goals also
shape our point of view.
Everything we do is done
with a goal in mind which
we wish to accomplish.
These goals affect
everything we do, which in
turn affect our experience,
which shape our
perspective, which create
our point of view.
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It is important to take
these biases as guidelines
and not word for word.
When listening or reading
it is important to
understand is it important
to understand the goals
and perspectives of the
author or speaker and
relate this to your own
goals and experience to
better understand what is
being said.
QUESTION 1
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Consider the following statement, “The quality of
your thinking is the most important component
of an information system.” Do you agree with this
statement? Do you think it is even possible to say
that one component is the most important one?
QUALITY OF THINKING AND
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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“The quality of your
thinking is the most
important component of an
information system.” This
statement is absolutely
true.
Without a strong quality of
thinking it would be next
to impossible to put any of
the information system to
use.
It would be like having a
car without an engine.
There is nothing to run the
machine.
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It is possible to say that
one component of an
information system is
more important than
another, however it would
not necessarily be correct
because it is a matter of
point of view shaped by
perspective.
No parts in the system can
work without the others.
They are all
interdependent and
require each other to work.
QUESTION 2
The text claims that although it is impossible to
raise your IQ, it is possible to improve the quality
of your thinking. Do you agree? Whether or not
you agree, give three examples that illustrate
differences in quality of thinking. They can all be
examples from one person or three different
people.
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IMPROVING YOUR THINKING
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It is possible to improve
your thinking through
expanding the way in
which you think.
If you look past the
problem and to the way in
which your perspectives
will shape your decision
then you can look past that
to see how your decision
will influence and make a
difference to others
allowing you to make the
best decision possible.
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A person with a low
quality of thinking will
look at the question one
dimensionally and answer
from their own point of
view without taking the
point of view of others in to
account.
Another person may take
in to account how others
their perspectives shape
their decision.
A high quality thinker will
take in to account others
point of view as well as
their own when decision
making and thinking.
QUESTION 3
Though it does not appear so, the statement,
“There are five components of an information
system: hardware, software, data, procedures,
and people” is an opinion based on a perspective.
Suppose you said this opinion to a computer
engineer who said, “Rubbish. That’s not true at
all. The only components that count are
hardware and maybe software.” Contrast the
perspective of the engineer with that of your MIS
professor. How do those perspectives influence
their opinions about the five component
framework? Which is correct?
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INFLUENCES OF PERSPECTIVES ON THE FIVE
COMPONENTS OF THE MIS SYSTEM
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The five components of an
information system could
be interpreted differently
by many people. It all
depends on how you use
the information on day to
day basis.
Someone such as an
engineer may believe that
the only components they
use are the hardware and
maybe the software, but a
MIS professor may believe
that we use all five
components of the
information systems.
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The engineer may feel this
way because his job may
only deal with the
technical aspects while an
MIS professor sees the
need for all components to
be used and teaches this to
his/her students.
In this aspect both the
computer engineer and the
MIS professor are correct
because neither is wrong it
is just that their
perspectives and
experiences affect their
answers.
QUESTION 4
Consider Bateson’s definition, “Information is a
difference that makes a difference.” How can this
definition be used to advantage when designing
a web page? Explain why someone who
specializes in quantitative methods might
consider this definition to be useless. How can a
definition be both useful and useless?
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DEFINING “INFORMATION IS A
DIFFERENCE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.”
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"Information is a
difference that makes a
difference" could be used to
advantage when designing
a web page because when
you make a web page, you
can allow people to see
what you want them to
see.
The information you send
to the public is the only
information they can
receive so you would be
able to persuade the public
to be on your side if you
have something they want.
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Someone who specializes
in quantitative methods
may see this definition as
useless because in
quantitative methods
there is usually some form
of equation used to
formulate an answer; there
is not much you can do
with the information you
are given.
Although definitions may
be helpful to some because
it relates to their
experiences it may be
useless to others because it
does not relate to their
perspectives
QUESTION 5
Some students hate open ended questions. They
want questions that have one correct answer, like
7.3 miles per hour. When given a question like
that in question 4, a question that has multiple,
equally valid answers, some students get angry
or frustrated. They want the book or the
professor to give them the answer. How do you
feel about this matter?
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OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS
VS.
STRAIGHT FORWARD QUESTIONS
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You don’t need the book or
the professor to give you
answers to an open-ended.
With open-ended
questions, you can express
your answer and opinion
more freely. I agree with
the fact that one answer
questions are
straightforward and
trouble-free but at the
same time you can’t really
state your opinion on one
answer questions even if
you disagree with the
answer or not.
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While straight forward
questions have a definite
answer, open ended
questions leave room for
discussion and opinions.
Straight forward questions
do not have room to
examine our own point of
view or perspectives where
open ended questions
allow us to have that
insight.
Many students get
frustrated at open ended
questions because they do
not grasp the point of view
idea
QUESTION 6
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Do you think someone can improve the quality of
his or her thinking by learning to hold multiple,
contradictory ideas in mind at the same time? Or,
do you think that doing so leads to indecisive and
ineffective thinking? Discuss this question with
some of your friends. What do they think? What
are their perspectives?
HOLDING MULTIPLE IDEAS IS
WISER RATHER THAN INEFFECTIVE
AND INDECISIVE
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MULTIFACETED THINKING IMPROVES THE
QUALITY OF ONE’S THINKING
IT IS AN EFFECTIVE MENTAL PROCESS AND A
VALUEABLE FOUNDATION FOR CRITICAL –
THINKING
MULTIPLE IDEAS HELPS TO THINK “OUTSIDE
THE BOX”
IT CREATES A FRAME MIND BY WHICH AN
INDIVIDUAL DOES NOT SPEAK AND ACT ONLY
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ONE’S PERSONAL
POINT OF VIEW
IT GRANTS POWERFUL POSITION TO “WALK IN
OTHER’S PEOPLE SHOES” AND UNDERSTAND
THEIR PERSPECTIVES
IT EMPOWERS US TO DISCERN AND ADAPT TO
THEIR PERSPECTIVES AND GOALS
CRITICAL-THINKING
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IT ENTAILS TAKING IN INFORMATION AND
APPREHENDING ITS RELEVANCE:
 ANALYSIS=IDENTIFY RELATIONSHIPS AMONG
CONCEPTS
 EVALUATION=ONE’S REASONING
 INFERENCE=TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS BASED ON
DATA
 RESULTS=JUDGMENTS AND DECISIONS THAT
OPTIMIZE GOALS AND PROBLEM-SOLUTIONS
IT IS A FACT THE INTEGRATION OF THE STUDY OF
JUDGING AND DECISION-MAKING CONDUCTED IN
PSYCHOLOGY IN DISCIPLINES LIKE ECONOMICS,
FINANCE, MARKETING, LAW…
TWO SYSTEMS OF DECISIONMAKING
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THE PSYCHOLOGIST AND NOBLE PRIZE WINNER
DANIEL KAHNEMAN DESCRIBES TWO SYSTEMS OF
DECISION-MAKING:
 EXPERIENTIAL=FAST, DIFFICULT TO CONTROL,
INTUITIVE, SUBJECT TO EMOTIONAL
INFLUENCES, LIMITS OF INTUITION,MAINTAIN
RELATIVE SMALL AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION
 ANALYTICAL=SLOWER, DELIBERATE, INVOLVES
REASONABLE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION,
BETTER SOLUTIONS,FORMAL ANALYTIC
PROCESSES THAT WEIGHTS AND SUMS
PREDICTOR VARIABLES FOR A QUANTITATIVE
FORECAST
 IN A GLOBAL BUSINESS WORLD THE SCOPE IS TO
RESIST OUR INCLINATION TO DRAW SIMPLE
CONCLUSIONS FROM DYNAMIC AND COMPLEX
SITUATIONS.
 TO “CONSIDER THE OPPOSITE” OF ONE’S IDEA OR
SOLUTION REDUCES ERRORS IN JUDGMENTS
DUE TO DECISIONS BASED ON BIASES AND
HEURISTICS
THERE IS A DEMAND FOR
NONROUTINE COGNITIVE SKILLS
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ABSTRACT REASONING
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PROBLEM-SOLVING
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COMMUNICATION
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COLLABORATION
TO BE CONFORTABLE WITH AMBIGUITY AND TO
TAKE RISKS AND TO EXPERIMENT