RE: [ba-ohs-talk] What are we trying to accomplish?
Mei-Lin, (01)
Thanks for your message. (02)
I don't necessarily agree with your remark: (03)
"The only way to make abstract ideas concrete is not to talk around and
around, but to actually work with them and see what happens." (04)
In my experience, "to talk around and around" is "work(ing) with them." (05)
I am a strong advocate of simulation, prototyping, modeling and systems
thinking -- mechanisms to make "abstract ideas concrete." Michael Schrage's
book, "Serious Play," is highly recommended. (Schrage was the Winter 2001 KM
Cluster keynote speaker.) (06)
However, at the same time, there is substantial value in the process of
"talk(ing) around and around" in settings with heterophilious links of low
proximity, (e.g., "the strength of weak ties"). These exists within the many
touchpoints of BI it members and stakeholders, for example. This is
particularly important to concept maturity and diffusion. (07)
It is also important to note that the process of innovation and invention
has proven to always being highly counter-intuitive. Efforts to bottle it
never pan out. (08)
The great Nobel Laureate economist Freidrich Hayek said it best in his
landmark 1945 article, "The Use of Knowledge in Society" (!highly
recommended!)
http://www.virtualschool.edu/mon/Economics/HayekUseOfKnowledge.html (09)
"But those who clamor for "conscious direction"--and who cannot believe that
anything which has evolved without design (and even without our
understanding it) should solve problems which we should not be able to solve
consciously--should remember this: The problem is precisely how to extend
the span of our utilization of resources beyond the span of the control of
any one mind; and therefore, how to dispense with the need of conscious
control, and how to provide inducements which will make the individuals do
the desirable things without anyone having to tell them what to do." (010)
Cheers, (011)
jtm (012)
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ba-ohs-talk@bootstrap.org
[mailto:owner-ba-ohs-talk@bootstrap.org]On Behalf Of Mei Lin Fung
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 5:58 PM
To: ba-ohs-talk@bootstrap.org
Subject: RE: [ba-ohs-talk] What are we trying to accomplish? (013)
I wrote this in response to Johannes and Eric's questions and then
decided to write more. This is about 2300 words long, so it is not a
quick read. Sorry about that. (014)
Johannes Ernst wrote: (015)
> I would like to add: the **benefits** of such a system. In dollars
> saved per person per day, preferably. E.g. it will increase the
> productivity of a user of class A by 5% (?) when performing task B. (016)