ABSTRACT
When “…solving problems as understood is more useful than understanding them differently” (Reich 1988, 7), we forestall social learning. If the drive to reach a goal drowns out efforts to understand the larger context and background of the situation, we set ourselves up for treating symptoms and create a breeding ground for worse problems. Often people are reluctant to do the work necessary to find new ways of understanding because it takes time, requires openness to the unfamiliar, and requires skill to be able to encounter differences productively. Each of these challenges is formidable.
