Lakoff and Johnson (14) argue that “many of our activities (arguing, solving problems, budgeting time, etc.) are metaphorical in nature. The metaphorical concepts that characterize those activities structure our present reality. New metaphors have the power to create a new reality.” Corporate managers tend to view their companies as being in a race — be it for success, market share, revenues, or survival. That metaphor influences the way they see the world and the way they manage their companies.
To quote Lakoff and Johnson (179), “We understand a statement as being true in a given situation when our understanding of the statement fits our understanding of the situation closely enough for our purposes.” (46) “…metaphors partially structure our everyday experience and this structure is reflected in our literal language.” Managers who can make use of the metaphors of complexity see their companies in a different light than those who don’t, and in a sense, are competing in a different world.
