Understanding phronesis
"phronesis" is an ancient Greek word, most closely associated with Aristotle, and is often translated as practical wisdom - the ability to make good judgements in complex situations.
I chose the name because it reflects how I believe organisations make progress.
Practical wisdom isn't about having all the answers. It's about understanding the situation, questioning assumptions, weighing evidence, considering people and context, and making sound judgements about what to do next.
That's the approach I bring to every engagement.
I don't arrive with a predefined methodology or a one-size-fits-all solution. Every organisation is different, and every challenge deserves to be understood before it's solved. My role is to help leaders make sense of complexity, uncover the problems that really matter, and build the confidence to move forward.
For Aristotle, phronesis wasn't simply knowledge. It was the ability to apply knowledge, experience and judgement in the real world.
For me, that's they key to driving successful transformation.
Did you know...?
01.
Aristotle is credited with the founding of formal logic, developing a system for reasoning and argument and contributing to the discipline of formal rhetoric (the art of persuasion).
"Socrates is a man; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal."
03.
Aristotle believed in three forms of friendship: fun friendships, strategic friendships, and true friendship. According to Aristotle, a true friend is someone who cares deeply for you and empathises with you in your pain(5).
02.
Aristotle equated moral goodness with habit. One of his most famous quotes is actually a reinterpretation:"we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit" was revised by the writer Will Durant from the original"virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions."
04.
When Aristotle died in 322 B.C.E, his works were almost lost to history, having been stored in a cellar for almost 200 years. Thankfully their discovery revealed his teachings to the world and ensured his legacy lives on in philosophy, psychology, history, and science (5).
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Aristotle (2009) The Nicomachean Ethics, Oxford University Press
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Dennison (2013) It’s all Greek to me: The terms ‘praxis’ and ‘phronesis’ in environmental philosophy. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). https://ian.umces.edu/blog/its-all-greek-to-me-the-terms-praxis-and-phronesis-in-environmental-philosophy/
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Tsoukas H, Cummings S (1997) Marginalization and recovery: the emergence of aristotelian themes in organization studies. Organ Stud 18(4):655–683
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Massingham (2019) An Aristotelian interpretation of practical wisdom: the case of retirees. Nature, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
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10 Things You Might Not Know About Aristotle, https://simplycharly.com/facts/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-aristotle