Glen writes:
>This might appear pedantic ...
then goes on to lecture me about the ant's navigational systems. And
Bruce, similarly, takes me to task for not understanding "scent trails."
Does any of this have anything to do with the analogy Herbert Simon was
making?
He maintains (and I agree) that none of this wonderful information about
the ant is very relevant when the ant runs into an obstacle that is too
large or too slippery or too steep to climb over! The point, I thought
[unless we're taking Ant 101], was that when such obstacles occur in the
"task environment" it is the nature of the obstacle that is most
determinant of the path taken, not the nature of the actor.
I might add that Simon (and Newell, and other pioneers in the study of
artificial intelligence) took these concepts very far, very successfully
in studying "human problem solving." In fact, that was the name of Newell
and Simon's book! So, please don't tell me that ...
>Using "animal" models to express human behavior is walking on thin ice.
>Animal perception and cognition are at times extremely different, well at
>least I hope so in some cases...lol.
... when, in fact, such "animal" models have led to great progress in our
understanding of human cognition!
Further, I thought that I was suggesting (most managers' opinions to the
contrary -- who usually believe "We're unique!") that when one tries to
understand an organization facing a challenge, the nature of the
(environmental) challenge may have more to do with the organization's
response than the detailed nature of the organization. This is a very
(VERY) useful insight -- and is the foundation of any hope I have that we
might actually be able to help organizations learn to cope better with
their challenges. On the other hand, if we have to deal with
organizational learning one organization at a time I fear we're doomed.
That said, I would appreciate some help. I try, within the limits of my
time, to contribute helpful ideas and experiences to this list. Am I
successful? I would appreciate it if someone could help me communicate
better. I get quite frustrated when my attempts to clarify result in
responses such as the two I mention above. Please help me understand why
my quotation of Simon's analogy invited such a detour into ant
navigational systems. How might I have communicated my point better so as
not to have triggered such off-track responses? Do I really need to
"explain the punch line before I tell my joke" in order for people to know
what I'm trying to say? Did others on this list think I was talking about
ant navigational systems? Thanks for any guidance.
--"John Gunkler" <jgunkler@sprintmail.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>