Hedgehog and the Fox
Please Reserve Value Judgements!
\( fox \neq hedgehog \)
\( value(fox) = value(hedgehog) \)
Archilochus
680 BC - 645 BC
the fox knows many things; but the hedgehog one big thing
- Plato, Hegel
- See the world through a single unifying vision
- Construct elaborate models
- Global Beliefs
- Problem Approach = apply organizing principles and theories.
- Aristotle, Shakespeare
- See the world as complex and chaotic
- Comfortable with nuance and contradictions
- Local Beliefs
- Problems Approach = Observation and Data Collection
2 Distinct Cognitive Styles
- Foxes are fragmented and unorganized
- Foxes are contradictory.
- Foxes overcomplicate things.
- Look, fox, just trust the process.
- Hedgehogs can't deal with nuance.
- Hedgehogs are Draconian.
- Hedgehogs are simplistic thinkers.
- Look, hedgehog, the answer depends on the context.
Common Critiques
- Watts Humphrey
- Kent Beck
- Eric Ries
- Fred Brooks
- Steve McConnell
- Donald Knuth
Famous Industry Examples
- Be sensitive to cognitive styles
- Foxes want localized data
- Data supporting THIS specific context
- Prototypes
- Hedgehogs want globalized models
- Explain Underlying Theory
- Presentations
Coaching Takeaway