Nigeria, Aug. 23 -- The argument over the young trainee who addressed UBA Chairman Tony Elumelu by his first name has become a surprisingly revealing debate about Nigerian society.

One side says she was disrespectful. The other says she did nothing wrong: UBA has a first-name culture, and she followed it.

I think both sides are looking at the wrong thing.

The question is not whether she should have said "Good morning, Tony." It is why a convention that once seemed progressive and liberating has become so awkward when applied across generations.

The answer has something to do with second-order thinking.

First-order thinking asks: What is the immediate benefit of this change?

Second-order thinking asks: What happens because of the cha...