Intuition is a difficult concept to grasp for those who perceive the world through only the five senses. C. G. Jung in Psychological Types defined intuition as being “perception via unconsciousness (1923, pg 568). Many define existence as being only what they are consciously aware of.  However, its lack of distinguished substance or form does not undermine its existence or usefulness. Intuition has played a crucial human existence since the beginning of time. Humans have avoided danger, made new discoveries, proved new theories and predicted future outcomes, all because someone had a “sense” about something. It has been argued that the diminished reliance on intuition and replacement with only that, which can be proved by science, has caused mankind harm. Steve Hagen, in his book Buddhism, Plain and Simple, describes bondage as conceiving the world only through the windows of our five senses (1997, pg 60) Whether or not it is recognized or labeled as such, intuition is deeply embedded in our society.

We do not need to be consciously aware of intuition in order to apply it to our lives. Often we unknowingly accept information that comes to us without our conscious awareness. Its method of delivery does not undervalue its usefulness. Mario Bunge, in his book Intuition and Science describes intuition as being "all the intellectual mechanisms which we do not know how to analyze or even name with precision, or which we are not interested in analyzing or naming" (3, p. 68). Businessmen, consultants and economist recognized the importance of intuition. Even if they do not label it as such, it is common to hear discussions regarding its application. A businessperson has a natural instinct for creating financial success. A marketer senses a customer’s response to a new product line. Stockbrokers understand intuitively the flows of the market. Financial analysts often speak of both feelings and statistics when making stock predictions. A good reporter can smell a story. They act on a hunch only to find they are in the right place at the right time.

In fact, intuition has had a longtime standing in business theory development. Keynes, the famed economist once wrote:

“And where our experience is incomplete, we cannot hope to derive from it judgments of probability without the aid either of intuition or of some further a priori principle. Experience, as opposed to intuition, cannot possibly afford us a criterion by which to judge whether on given evidence the probabilities of two propositions are or are not equal” (17, p. 86).

So you say what is the point of discussing intuition in a business strategy blog?It is to bring to mind one simple thought. Globalization has dramatically changed the playing field. Many of the age old barometers of thought are coming into question. Currency and other stock market indices are even being re-evaluated to identify if the conclusions from their behavior patterns still hold true. Forward looking, successful decision making may require business leaders to reconsider all possibilities. In a global and sometimes complicated new world order, it may require use of all senses--those commonly accepted and those not!