The Selective Attention Rule: Its Observation and Reversal in Corporate Management

Due to the increasing competition for people’s attention on both the online and the offline media, focus has become a highly herculean task and quite an expensive price for individuals to attain productivity. In this previous analysis, the psychology and the need-assessment of focus for organisational growth were considered. One of the strategies recommended for strategic managers to improve focus and efficiency in their organisation is ‘’selective attention’’ which is thought to not only help organisations navigate market noises but also avoid waste of resources.

This analysis seeks to conceptualize selective attention, examine its core principles and then discuss the organisations that observed the rule in navigating their competitive landscape.

Selective attention may be described as a rational approach to problem solving which involves categorizing tasks into two folds which include; relevant and non-relevant, and then focussing only on those that are considered to be relevant while neglecting outright those that are not. In other words, selective attention involves knowing which tasks to focus on and executing them, as well as recognizing and avoiding what are not relevant. The selective attention rule is premised on the idea that the mind is not capable of multitasking and therefore needs to be engaged on a specific task per time to achieve optimum efficiency.

The following are basic principles or assumptions of the selective attention rule:

• Multitasking is an illusion. While we think we are multitasking, we actually switch attention rapidly, not splitting it.
• Because the human brain cannot multitask, we must give our attention to a specific task at a time to achieve maximum results.
• Efficiency is recognizing and orienting toward what’s important away from what’s not so important.
• We attain our optimum efficiency through our capacity to strive for one target while ignoring incoming stimulus.
• productivity requires conscious and effortful action.

Observer of the rule

Steve Jobs used selective attention to turn around Apple from about a billion dollars in debt to around 300 million dollars in profit. Steve Jobs’ comeback as the new CEO of Apple in 1997, having been ousted from the top management in 1984, brought a renewed hope to the company which was at the edge of a precipice. Apple then was dealing with several varieties of products which included different types of computers and computer accessories, and other different types of gadgets. The company was doing poorly. But Steve jobs’ new strategy was to focus and develop an exclusive market for the company.

Rather than extend multiple products,  Apple began to focus on producing one computer and one laptop each for its consumer markets and its professional markets. Subsequently, Steve Jobs introduced Ipods, Ipads and Iphones that transformed the industry. He canceled 70 percent of Apple’s product and turned a $1 billion dollar loss into $309 Million profit in 1998. Jobs realized that deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.

Reversal

The limitation of the selective attention principle is that one may be carried away by what is thought to be important while ignoring other important things.

For instance, by the early 2000, Blackberry had already dominated the mobile phone market. Blackberry thrived on four key selling points which included; long battery life, key pads, security and wireless data compression. Blackberry focussed on corporate companies who forced their workers to use the phones in the office. But blackberry focussed too much on its initial innovation that it neglected new trends in the market. Thus, as at 2005 the Iphone and Android system brought new innovation to the market based on touch screens. After five years of its market dominance Blackberry already lost its market value.