"Information is ... analytical and conceptual. But meaning is not; it is perception."
When Peter Drucker was talking about this, he was differentiating between analysis and intuition, as well as the whole versus the some of its parts.
Drucker asserted that "perception" was at the center of the biological universe, using the example that we don't hear "C" "A" "T" when it's spoken, rather we hear "cat."
He went on to say that in a "mechanical phenomenon the whole is equal to the sum of its parts and therefore capable of being understood by analysis. Biological phenomenon are however 'wholes!' They are different than the sum of their parts.
"Any 'ecology' the whole has to be seen and understood, and the 'parts' exist only in contemplation of the whole.
"Increasingly we will balance the conceptual with the perceptual. We must learn to see as well as think."
This helps to understand the frustration many business leaders have in how they see and look at data and information. Most are able to see things conceptually, but perceptually it's very difficult. The reverse is all true, especially with creative people, which is one of the reasons they can create interesting, compelling things, but aren't good at all in business.
Those that are able to do both within themselves excel. Either that, or we need people in management positions that may have one or the other, while complementing one another. That will work too.
We've mentioned it serveral times throughout the last couple years at managersrealm on why someone like Warren Buffett is able to pick companies out that will outperform over the years, while other capable people looking at the same data can't. I believe it's tied into the ability to be conceptual and perceptual at the same time.
Of course Buffett isn't the only one, many of the great business leaders, when you study them, have this underlying quality within them.
The struggle those with strengths in the conceptual will have is being able to see the big picture, while working day after day on practical issues. At the same time, those that can see the whole and have creative strengths, can struggle tremendously with seeing things, but lacking the practical abilities or will to put them into action. This is one of the key reasons we need to know ourselves in business. If we aren't strong in one of these areas, we need to have someone else around us that is; either as a partner or a lead employee.
Other Peter Drucker Resources:
The Man Who Invented Management
Beyond the Information Revolution
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