Consultants & "complexity stuff" LO10930

Michael McMaster (Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk)
Sun, 10 Nov 1996 07:56:47 +0000

Replying to LO10926 --

In response to Arthur regarding my paraphrase of Murray Gell-Mann.

Murray wasn't "protesting" anywhere. He and I were having a conversation
following presentations of three "name" consultants closely connected with
various universities. Each had presented some version of "self
organisation" which suggested that there were no principles or structures
to human affairs.

Murray was expressing a concern that they were throwing out structure and
design in favour of self organisation. We were sharing a distaste for
that way of speaking.

My own experience is that there are a significant number who are using the
term "self organising" as a contrast or antidote to structure as we know
it but who have little or nothing to replace it with. There are also
numerous executives whom I've talked to that have heard/interpreted self
organising used in this way.

I am not including everybody in this boat. I am expressing a concern of
my own which happens to be shared by Murray. After all, "design of
spaces" - a term you used - is a pretty sophisticated one for the business
world and using "self organisation" without generating some understanding
of underlying organisation or design is not likely to be interpreted as
desired by most business leaders - at least not yet.

As to your gratuitous reference to the article questioning if SFI is doing
"real" science or "real" research or is just in PR, I suggest that
spreading that kind of talk is not very productive for a guy who uses the
ideas of SFI and references them. Such false dichotomy language is pure
press (PR?) work itself.

The issue, I think, is not are doing "real" science. The issue is are
they doing valid and useful work. Tell me your test of that and how they
are failing if you think not. But please don't spread the garbage of
popular press.

--
Michael McMaster :   Michael@kbdworld.com
web:http://www.vision-nest.com/BTBookCafe/TIA/TIAmap.html
"I don't give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity 
but I'd die for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." 
            attributed to Chief Justice Brandeis
 

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>