El Fondo para el Mejoramiento de la Calidad (FOMEC)

I have defined pragmatism as to act in a practical or efficient way; to get things done, alongside openness to new ideas that can be applied and tested. It is important to note that I do not refer here to the philosophical tradition of pragmatism as discussed in academic literature60. Rather, I define pragmatism here as it is understood in relation to, and by, the participants in this study. While perfectionistic striving identifies a problem, pragmatism enables the application of a solution. Pragmatism requires that the

participants seek and engage with new ideas, and that those new ideas are then applied until the problem can be seen to be solved. It is achieving the solution to the problem that results in development.

163 Sub-themes

Before I go on to discuss development, I will discuss some of the strongest sub-themes relating to pragmatism to come through in my interactions with the participants. The sub- themes, presented in alphabetical order, are: Achievement, collaboration, contingency, decisiveness, research, resourceful, and strategic.

Achievement

Participants communicated a desire for achievement, that is, the completion, accomplishment or successful execution of a solution, or development. While

perfectionistic striving analyses for and defines a target for change, pragmatism is focused on the achievement of change. While this is perhaps not surprising in the light of the definition of pragmatism, what did surprise me was what I observed to be the ambivalence participants communicated in relation to the moment of (in particular personal)

achievement. Discussions with participants revealed that what I was observing was not ambivalence at all; rather, the participants explained that they recognise when the solution is going to be achieved and are quietly satisfied (and sometimes relieved). However, in the meantime new problems have been identified and the focus has “moved on” to assiduously pursuing the new solution. The issue, therefore, is not one of ambivalence, but of focus.

Collaboration

Participants communicated a preference for collaboration (a tendency to work in

conjunction with another or others) in their work. This relates to all forms of partnership, physical work, and intellectual collaborations. While they prefer to have control over an investment, decision-making within the businesses tends to be “consultative” with their perspective being that “more eyes on a problem is better.” Early in their careers the participants’ collaborations were formed with people they already knew or were already connected to (such as family members or friends). However, as the participants progress in their careers, their choice of collaborators tends to change to be based on the skills and attributes of each individual in relation to the business or each problem to be solved. Participants prefer to select their collaborators and communicate a different attitude to those they choose to collaborate with and those people or institutions they are forced to cooperate with.

164 Contingency

Participants communicated strengths in analysing for and responding to contingencies, that being, occurrences that may happen but are uncertain. The participants’ originative thinking leads to broad reflection on possible contingencies. This translates into good risk management and an ability to notice new opportunities brought about by unforeseen incidents. The ability to analyse for and respond to contingencies means that participants can appear over-confident in situations that others regard as speculative. Rather than being speculative, they are in a constant and involved state of risk analysis which includes strategies for risk mediation. They are therefore cognizant of risk, skilled at preparing for it, and can manage a higher degree of risk (especially as their skills and abilities develop). The participants can also change direction quickly, or capture new opportunities quickly when unanticipated events occur leading to greater resilience.

Decisiveness

Participants communicated the ability to be decisive. While participants admitted that their decision-making could appear spontaneous, they noted that this is seldom the case. Rather, participants communicated the need to gather information and consider

contingencies before making a decision. In all cases participants preferred to reflect quietly, research, then seek guidance before making decisions that will have a significant impact. Participants were required to make many decisions on a day-to-day basis and only communicated discomfort with this where they were still unfamiliar with the business or situation. The preference for time to research, reflect and seek advice is strong; where decisions are made on little information the participants conduct a process of continuous review (perfectionistic striving) until they reach the desired outcome. If the decision made is less than ideal or new information comes to hand, they prefer to make a new decision without expending energy on justifying the old one.

Research

Participants communicated a propensity to conduct research (to study or investigate closely) prior to making decisions, thus supporting a preference for informed decision- making. All participants used research methods such as internet searches, reading relevant books and articles, discussions with networks, and engaging relevant experts. However participants without university degrees communicated a preference for smaller bites of written information and earlier focus on discussions with peers or experts. All participants preferred to engage with experts who had practical experience in the field of expertise

165 rather than those with academic knowledge only. Participants communicated a preference for experimentation as a part of their research process. Research did not end with

decision-making or implementation, rather a process of review and continuing research occurs until (if possible) a solution is “optimised”. This results in continuous refinement, for example, Marcus’ discussion of the “generation two” of their technology which was

completing development at the time of this study. Resourceful

Participants communicated and displayed considerable resourcefulness; by this I mean that they are skilled in meeting difficulties and full of practical ingenuity. Resourcefulness is important as the participants are striving to develop solutions within—often severe— resource constraints. Participants’ openness to ideas, originative thinking, and willingness to apply new ideas means that resources are sometimes used by the participants in novel ways to achieve their goals. While participants showed an ability to be fast at problem- solving and a willingness to experiment, their focus remains on effective solutions. Due to their perfectionistic striving participants displayed unwillingness to maintain sub-standard solutions and would strive both to acquire the appropriate resources to effect long term solutions and to avoid new problems caused by sub-optimal solutions. Perfectionistic striving is so strong that participants can continue to reflect on historic businesses or projects with dissatisfaction if their current knowledge and resources indicate that their previous solutions were sub-optimal.

Strategic

Participants communicated a tendency to be strategic, that is to plan for successful action based on the rationality and interdependence of the moves (and analysis of contingencies as discussed). Participants communicated the desire to set a course of action, and actively gather information (research) and remove obstacles so that they can achieve their desired outcome. Participants communicate a preference for quietly strategising for long periods of time before committing to written strategies, or committing to a course of action. Once strategies are written participants communicated a preference to see these as “living documents”. As such, participants communicated the need to view strategies as being flexible and “not written in blood.” Participants often strategised out loud during discussions and often sought my perspective on ideas. Sometimes this resulted in the

166 drawing of diagrams, or bullet-pointing of strategies or action plans that they would “tuck away for later.”