The unnameable - a brief reflection.

The unnameable exists. It is present in the question, ‘How come?’, it is present in the question, ‘What just happened?’. It is present in the question, ‘Why did they do that?’.

It is also present in the feeling of confusion, of disconnection, of bewilderment in the face of apparent complexity.

This is one reason Art exists. To bypass the need to name and to create something that helps the unnameable experience to be shared.

This is also present in organisational life if only because of its complexity.

So when you are leading a firm of high intensity, high intellect, high capacity experts how do you make the unnameable exist in a way that can be worked with rather than suppressed or ignored?

One way is to not-think, which means to reflect. It means to sit in silence and allow something to emerge. In a world busy with words the unnameable may emerge as an image or even a bodily movement. It can also emerge as a deep innovation. Where is the room in your organisation for that kind of thing?