"A paradigm is a set of rules and regulations (written or unwritten) that does two things: 1) it establishes or defines boundaries; and 2) it tells you how to behave inside the boundaries in order to be successful". (Joel Arthur Barker) "A shared set of assumptions. The paradigm is the way we perceive the world; water to the fish. The paradigm explains the world to us and helps us to predict its behavior. When we are in the middle of the paradigm, it is hard to imagine any other paradigm" (Adam Smith). "A paradigm is a framework of thought ... a scheme for understanding and explaining certain aspects of reality". (Marilyn Ferguson) From the Greek paradeigma, which means 'model, pattern, example".