MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Managing the Distraction-Focus Paradox

Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, would have you believe that your behavior is a serious problem, that the ephemera of the internet are hijacking your ability to concentrate and think.1 I disagree — or rather, I’d argue that, in today’s workplace, the seductive clamor of the web is a reality from which there’s no retreat. In the age of big data and ever-more-powerful processors, we must absorb more data at faster speeds. Those who’ll succeed in this distraction-filled world as thinkers, managers, and innovators will need to combine two seemingly opposing traits. They must be able to absorb diverse information from a wealth of sources, and they must be able to focus intensely. I call this the distraction-focus paradox. While these two qualities seem contradictory, together they make up the skill set for managing your most valuable personal resource — your attention — in a hyper-connected age.

Yes, these abilities have always been important — but their combination will become more so in the coming years, as social media and mobile computing continue to advance.

About the Author

Carsten Lund Pedersen is a postdoc in the Department of Strategic Management and Globalization at Copenhagen Business School in Frederiksberg, Denmark, where he researches strategy, employee autonomy, and business development in a digital age.

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