Descartes in the Boadroom: Rational Thinking in Strategy
Introduction: What If the Father of Rationalism Ran a Strategy Offsite?
Business strategy is often described as analytical, logical, and fact-based. But in practice, boardroom decision-making is as much about power dynamics, untested assumptions, and cognitive shortcuts as it is about clear thinking.
That’s where Descartes enters.
René Descartes, the 17th-century philosopher and mathematician, is best known for the phrase Cogito, ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am"). But beyond that famous axiom, Descartes developed a rigorous method of thinking—skeptical, structured, and iterative. One that modern business leaders might do well to revisit.
What if instead of rushing into frameworks, workshops, and KPIs, we started with doubt, decomposition, and disciplined reasoning? What if we brought Descartes into the boardroom not as a metaphor, but as a method?
This article explores how Descartes’ philosophical principles can radically sharpen strategic thinking—and what it means to lead with reason in a world shaped by ambiguity.
Descartes’ Method—A Four-Step Primer for Strategic Thought
In his Discourse on the Method, Descartes laid out a simple but powerful four-rule framework for building knowledge. Translated into a strategic context, it offers a striking blueprint:
Accept nothing as true unless clearly known to be so
Strategy implication: Don’t assume. Validate. Ask: What are we treating as truth that is actually just convention or bias?
Divide each difficulty into as many parts as possible
Strategy implication: Deconstruct big questions. Don’t ask “How do we transform?” Ask: “Where are the real friction points?”
Conduct thoughts in order, from the simplest to the most complex
Strategy implication: Sequence logic. Don’t skip to solutions. First, define the challenge, then explore options.
Review comprehensively to ensure nothing is omitted
Strategy implication: Strategize iteratively. Don’t set-and-forget your plan. Return to first principles regularly.
Descartes' method is not academic. It’s a strategic operating system for high-stakes clarity.
The Discipline of Doubt—Why Leaders Should Think Like Philosophers
Descartes began by rejecting everything he could not be certain of. His radical doubt was not paralysis—it was liberation from illusion.
In strategic settings, doubt is rarely welcomed. Leaders are expected to be decisive, confident, and fast. But doubt—applied constructively—forces rigor. It:
Surfaces hidden assumptions
Slows premature consensus
Distinguishes fact from interpretation
Prevents wishful extrapolation
Strategic clarity begins not with confidence, but with questioning.
Try asking:
What do we think we know—and how do we know it?
What data have we ignored because it contradicts our beliefs?
Where might we be mistaking correlation for causation?
Break Strategy Into Its Simplest Parts
Descartes believed in solving complex problems by dividing them into manageable parts. In the boardroom, this means escaping the trap of abstraction.
Instead of asking:
"How do we transform the business?"
Ask:
"Where is value eroding fastest?"
"What do our best customers expect that we don’t deliver?"
"What assumptions are baked into our pricing model?"
Every strategic challenge can be made sharper by breaking it down. Complexity is not an excuse for vagueness.
Sequence Thinking With Rigor
Descartes emphasized moving from the simple to the complex in order. Many strategies fail not because the ideas are wrong—but because the logic is rushed.
In practice, this means:
Framing the problem before pitching the initiative
Clarifying the baseline before projecting the ambition
Defining decision rights before forming cross-functional teams
Think like a Cartesian: What has to be true first, before this next move makes sense?
A well-sequenced strategy is not only logical—it’s executable.
Review Relentlessly—Strategy as Iteration, Not Edict
Descartes' fourth rule was to review thoroughly to ensure nothing had been missed. In business, the pressure to "lock the strategy" often cuts off this essential discipline.
Instead:
Revisit assumptions quarterly
Use pre-mortems and retrospectives as standard practice
Encourage leaders to refine rather than defend their thinking
Strategy is a living system. Descartes reminds us that rigorous review is a sign of strength, not uncertainty.
Build Structures That Support Rationality
If rational thinking is the aspiration, boards and executive teams must be designed to support it. That means:
Documenting not just decisions, but the logic behind them
Training teams to recognize cognitive biases (anchoring, sunk cost, availability)
Using counter-narratives and structured debate in strategic planning sessions
Adopt a Cartesian principle: Make thinking visible. Write it. Map it. Pressure-test it.
The quality of strategic conversation is the leading indicator of execution quality.
Combine Descartes With the Human Side of Strategy
Of course, Descartes was not a CEO. Strategy is not math. But there’s power in combining his disciplined rationality with the messier forces that shape organizations: emotion, influence, storytelling, culture.
The best leaders:
Think like Descartes, but speak like a novelist
Doubt their assumptions, but believe in their people
Dissect problems, but frame choices with meaning
Cartesian strategy isn’t cold—it’s conscious. And deeply human when practiced with intent.
Conclusion: Descartes Wasn’t in the Boardroom. But He Should Have Been.
In an era of complexity and noise, rational thinking is not optional. It’s differentiating.
Bringing Descartes into the boardroom means:
Starting with structured doubt
Deconstructing complexity
Sequencing logic with care
Reviewing with humility
Before you run your next strategy session, try asking: What would Descartes do?
He wouldn’t start with a slide. He’d start with a question. Then he’d break it down, test it, and build clarity—one decision at a time.
That’s not just philosophy. That’s leadership.
