The Assumptions We No Longer Notice

The most powerful assumptions are often those we no longer realise we are making.

Human beings are remarkably efficient thinkers. We develop habits, establish routines, and create systems that allow us to navigate complexity without continually reconsidering every decision.

Without these mental shortcuts, everyday life would become exhausting. The same principle applies to organisations. Successful processes become standard practice until standard practice becomes accepted wisdom; and eventually accepted wisdom becomes almost invisible.

Few people now question why we attach documents to emails, why we upload copies of passports, or why every new organisation asks for another verification or proof of address. These processes have become familiar, familiarity creates confidence, and confidence discourages curiosity.

History suggests that meaningful innovation rarely begins by asking how existing systems can be made marginally better. It begins by questioning whether the assumptions underpinning those systems reflect new realities.

That is not an argument against existing practice, rather an invitation to examine it. Every generation inherits assumptions that served previous generations well.

Progress depends upon recognising when changing circumstances invite us to reconsider them.

What We Know

Successful systems become embedded in everyday behaviour. Embedded behaviours are rarely questioned.

Behavioural science demonstrates that familiarity strongly influences decision-making.

What We Believe

The greatest obstacle to the next generation of personal information management is unlikely to be technology.

It is likely to be the assumption that current technologies have quietly normalised today’s behaviours.

Question

Which assumptions about personal information have become so familiar that we no longer notice them?