What is a brain based business? Investigator Ellen Weber introduced us to this intriguing concept, and kindly helped us try to understand it. Here is our not-entirely-successful attempt to learn.
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From: "Ellen Weber"
Subject: Thanks for your Harvard Business Review ArticleHi Marc, What an insightful article you published in the Harvard Business Journal in Sept 05 issue. I was particularly interested in your notion of how familiar ideas trump innovative ones. I run an international brain based business and we show people how both laughter and innovative ideas can actually build new neuron pathways in the brain and in our lives for well being beyond what most people dream of:-)
I’d not been aware of your organization but am intrigued to see how close your philosophy fits into the way we think here at the MITA International Brain Based Center in Rochester.
All to say, THANKS for the inspiration, and I wish you the very best at IG. Ellen
Ellen Weber, Ph.D.
CEO, MITA Brain Based Center
Pittsford, NY
http://www.mitaleadership.com
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Thank you, Ellen.
I have not heard of a brain-based business, and must admit I am a little confused as to what that is. Is yours the only one in existence?
Looking over your web site, I see the intriguing statement: "Your employees will accomplish things never before accomplished by using parts of their brains never before used."
How do you go about checking that they have never used particular parts of their brains? Which parts, typically, are not used?
Intrigued but puzzled,
Marc
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From: "Ellen Weber"
Subject: Re: Thanks for your Harvard Business Review ArticleThat’s a great question, Marc. While there are many who see that schools, colleges and businesses we created no longer fit well with what we now know about amazing capabilities of the human brain to perform well, I’m not sure if others have started brain based businesses to address that gap between what we know and what we do. In fact, you raise a good question
What I do know is that my work is peer reviewed in books by Pearson Publisher who sends my work out to gurus in the field, but not sure if they even know that I pay my own health care for the privilege of helping folks to see the amazing capabilities of their brains:-)
Marc, it was really hard at first, and for years we went it alone, but more and more folks come to us now and we are so glad we hung on:-) Maybe that’s why I loved your work and site — I recognized the courage it takes to stand up and hold on and respect others for all they contribute. You folks rock!
Great question, and thanks for your interest: Here at the Center, we help folks to recognize and use their multiple intelligences to solve everyday problems. You could say we transform the theoretic into practical tactics that draw from the neuro and cognitive sciences but which are practical and doable approaches. We also invite leaders and learners to use MITA and brain based methods and to reflect on positive results. For example, lately we had an engineering group and an architectural group approach us to create a MITA "Brain-friendly" high school. In that school will be a setting which is environmentally responsible and also which will encourage secondary faculty, parents and students to use far more of their brains on a daily basis. We do this part through my MITA method which sequences five entry points for students to know and express knowledge with higher motivation and achievement. Rather than conventional paper pencil exams, for instance, MITA hold a celebration of knowledge. Here students invite 5 guests each to share and engage others in knowledge they are expected to know. You can see images of several of these celebrations (we also do these with business leaders) on our site, and they get huge results as the learners teaches others at the same time he or she is learning a topic. It’s rather exciting, and it departs from the isolating of learning in rows to the community building aspect across cultures, ages, worldviews and disciplines:-)
Does that make sense? Are you folks based in the Boston area? My daughter and son-in-law just started PhDs at Boston College. I’d love to learn more about what you do, and to see how our alternative approaches brush cutting edges in the same places:-). If you’re ever in the Rochester area, do come by for lunch at the Center. Ellen
Ellen Weber, Ph.D.
CEO, MITA Brain Based Center
Pittsford, NY
http://www.mitaleadership.com
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Ellen —
I am still confused about what (in concise wording) a brain-based business is, and what a non-brain-based business is.
And what is the answer to my earlier question: How do you go about checking that they have never used particular parts of their brains? Which parts, typically, are not used?
Marc
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From: "Ellen Weber"
Subject: Re: Thanks for your Harvard Business Review ArticleMarc, you ask a wide question which has a wide and deep answer:-) I’ll give you a glimpse in few words.
>I am still confused about what (in concise wording) a brain-based business is, and what a non-brain-based business is.
A brain based business is deliberate and up front about using mental tactics for quality performances, based on current facts about your brain. These differ for different outcomes wanted, I could share examples.
>And what is the answer to my earlier question: How do you go about checking that they have never used particular parts of their brains?
We use specific rubrics and what we term "intelligence-fair" tests and surveys, based on what we want to measure and what results we hope to show. I published a whole book on this measurement topic back in 1999, Marc, and it gets into other questions about what you are measuring and why after which we create exact rubrics for so doing.
> Which parts, typically, are not used?
Again, this took a book (2005) to illustrate but let me give you one example. Rarely do we use multiple intelligences to problem solve or move ahead at work. We show how to do so in practical ways and for positive results.
Wow — you ask good questions, and I feel I have barely scraped the surface. A brain based business helps people to learn and lead more with the brain in mind, as more of an extravagant advocate (through practical approaches we use) than many of us realized. Make sense?
Ellen
Ellen Weber, Ph.D.
CEO, MITA Brain Based Center
Pittsford, NY
http://www.mitaleadership.com
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Thanks, Ellen. But I am still confused. Maybe I asked the questions in an unclear way. Let me rephrase them.
1. What is a concise definition of the concept "brain-based business"?
2. What are the regions of the brain (the brain’s regions each have specific names) that (as your site says) people typically do not use?
Marc
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From: "Ellen Weber"
Subject: Is this conciser:-) Marc?MITA Brain Based Center helps leaders and learners replace myths that limit mental performances, with current realities and practices that optimize an individual or group’s mental capabilities. Targets are established with clients, a brain based action plan is completed and results are measured against specific rubrics that show progress.
Sample myth: I’m not as smart as….
Sample reality: IQ is not fixed and you can increase intelligence
Sample action: Suggested practices that grow dendrite brain cells
Sample measure: Survey to measure each benchmark criteriaDoes that address your excellent question further, Marc? Ellen
Ellen Weber, Ph.D.
CEO, MITA Brain Based Center
Pittsford, NY
http://www.mitaleadership.com
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Certainly that is more concise. Thanks.
Marc
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