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"Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."

Francis Bacon

How to use these articles syntopically

To read syntopically is to read many books or articles simultaneously, and to study each work in relation to the others and to the subject around which they revolve. Syntopical reading demands that the reader bring a new synthesis to construct an analysis of the subject that is not in any single article or book.

In this spirit, approach the articles on this page as a coherent body of knowledge, rather than just a collection of articles. Individually, as single views, these articles are not particularly insightful, but read as a collection they provide a wealth of information from which insights not contained in any one of the articles can be formulated.

What does this body of knowledge say about the field of materials science? Look for patterns in the article titles, in the topics, in the methods, and in the conclusions.  Look for what the articles say, as well as what they don't say. What are the authors missing? Individually and collectively. Look for the connections, the things that tie even the seemingly unrelated articles together. What are the emerging trends? Where is innovation happening? What are the opportunities for Greene, Tweed to leverage its strengths and create new markets?

As you think about these questions, keep in mind that this body of knowledge is not necessarily comprehensive or complete. It is a mere snapshot, one person's catch of information relevant to the field of materials science. The more you expand this body of knowledge by following-up on these articles and following your curiosity to expand the list of sources, the more meaningful the answers and the insights to and from the above questions will be.

While individuals can read syntopically, the process is most powerful when it is approached by a group. To facilitate this, we often break this exercise down into three parts.

1. Spend time individually with different selections of articles, reading some articles in depth and scanning others.
2. Take time as a group to discuss the articles and their implications for Greene, Tweed. If you were the author, what advice would you have for Greene, Tweed? What questions would you ask? What steps would you take?
3. Take this information and as a team, identify the key implications of your reading to the long-term success of Greene, Tweed. Define the terrain, the issues, the concerns, and impacts of technological and social change that must be tracked and considered to achieve a long-term strategy.

This type of exercise could be conducted periodically with different groups within Greene, Tweed. If shared between groups, the output of each of these sessions could be very powerful in helping drive the organizational transformation efforts.

(The concept of syntopical reading comes from How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren.)

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