Hi OLers,
Lee Bloomquist has made an important observation. How do we know that the
ideals we prescribe won't be its own downfall? We see instances of such
downfalls all around us. A company going into obsolescence is one such
instance.
In order to address this, I think we need to question the concept of
problem solving. Problem solving involves an analysis of the problem
domain and a mental model which depicts the domain. A solution to a
problem hence addresses the problem in the context of the mental model.
However a mental model is built based on the inputs obtained by the
problem solver. There is no means to verify whether the input is
exhaustive (or whether an exhaustive set of inputs may be obtained at
all). In addition, the data obtained by the inputs are prone to change.
This means that the mental model which describes our world for us has to
keep changing from time to time. And this further means that the solutions
that were proposed should also keep changing in order to keep pace with
the model.
I think most instances of extremism that we see has resulted from either
the model not depicting the domain adequately, or the solution not
addressing the problem in the context of the model.
So, the concept of "compete with yourself, collaborate with others" is
also destined to be a nominee for a solution within a finite mental model.
Unless the premises are questioned often and deeply, it might cause its
own downfall.
How do we know whether a model is adequately descriptive of the domain?
How do we know that a solution addresses the problem within the context of
the model? Are there any evaluation criteria for determining that? I don't
know!
(An interesting observation-- if ever there were to be an evaluation
criteria to determine whether a model describes the domain adequately or
whether a solution addresses the context of the model, this criteria would
be based on a mental model of the notion of evaluation. How do we ensure
that *this* model is still current, and the evaluation criteria addresses
the context of the evaluation model?)
Warm Regards
Srinath
srinaths@lotus.iitm.ernet.in
--Srinath Srinivasa <srinaths@lotus.iitm.ernet.in>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>