Complexity, Innovation, Knowledge and Learning: A quantum interpretation of management

The seven myths of innovation

Interesting material on innovation, and this time some fresh ideas. FT runs a series of Mastering innovation. Sawhney and Wolcott summarize it as "You should give employees the freedom to imagine, but then provide them with the structure to act". Bessant recognises that "Innovation is more than the sum of its parts". More of this would do innovation good.

Technology in search of a problem

The FT-IT Review of yesterday reported on a case study of Leeds City Council using 3G mobile technology for learning. Amongst others, it describes how huge databases can be consulted, using the new generation of mobile technology. And again the same situation strikes me. I am around for some years already in the applications of broadband technology, and particularly in all kind of experiments in e-learning and still I observe the same. We have all kind of interesting technologies that are in search of a problem that they can help solving. But when are we going to try and innovate for instance the learning environment and approach, after which learning technologies will become obvious to be used. Pedagogical innovation is the message, and I am afraid not 3G mobile thelephony.

Duende

Jason Webster has written an intriguing book titled "Duende". Duende is what Juan Martin in his Flamenco method "El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra" defines as follows: Duende, literally meaning goblin or elf, is the spirit which inspires those extraordinary, perhaps fleeting moments in Flamenco when te performer achieves a total communication with his audience. It is an experience of bare truth, when one is somehow transported in the very depth of things, to emotion at its most naked and most poignant, so that one can feel "that is how it really is".

Though difficult without an audience, I would invite you to listen to the latest CDs of e.g. Paco de Lucia or Tomatito. It might bring you in the mood.

The story tells the authors search for Duende, passionate has he became by Flamenco music. The book is both a description of what Duende probably really means, and gives an idea about the backstage of emotions; in flamenco for sure, but of course equally in any other human activity.

Interesting in the book is also the learning process of the main personage that illustrates what I think is probably the one and only way to learn about the things that really matter: by experiencing them.

The conscious mind is indeed able to modify the unconscious

I few days ago I suggested in a post that reality could just be nothing more than what somebody thinks is true. In the last issue of Shift, the magazine of the Noetic Society, Candace Pert writes an article titled "Molecules and Choices". I would certainly suggest to read this article. Through the activities of the neuropeptides there are almost infinite pathways for the conscious mind to access - and modify - the unconscious mind and the body. Hence we are indeed able to create our own reality. Let us be aware of this.

BLOGs: are they the new holy grail in education ?

Needless to say that I believe the BLOG development is an interesting one. Why else would I make an attempt to get one going ? Many examples exist, on general issues, as well as more related to complexity issues. But the question that remains unaswered is: what is its potential for improving the educational process ?

We are going to explore its potential as an educational support, not in order to replace the necessary human contact, but rather in order to provide new ways of learning (and indeed not by accident I use the word learning and not teaching). Interesting technology, at least in my opinion, is technology that allows to do new things, things that we were unable to do before. For almost ten years I am involved in experimenting with virtual learning. I had the pleasure to create the Euro-Arab Management School a number of years ago. It was an attempt to create a network school, allowing the participating business schools in different European and Arab countries to deliver quality management education, nevertheless allowing the necessary diversity in order to make education relevant for the context of the learner.

During my stay in the Netherlands we have further developed this platform and have done interesting research exploring the possibilities and limits of virtual learning.

Today, more than ever before, I am convinced that virtual learning has a bright future, particularly since it allows each and every learner to develop his own learning path, fully adapted to each individual's context. At least that is what virtual learning is able to do, which does not automatically mean that all what we call today e-learning fits this definition. Well designed virtual learning allows for diversity in learning, eventually allowing almost individualised education. In order to develop more accessible educational facilities in deprived regions or amongst the less fortunate, virtual learning has a huge potential.

Recently I was able to present a paper on "Learning, diversity and sustainable development" at the IAU conference in Sao Paulo. I did not speak about BLOGs yet, but for sure, we are running in the coming weeks a very interesting experiment with this BLOG, that at least in my opinion, might really boost what we are able to do in that respect in the future.

Come and see the coming weeks.

Does reality really exist ?

Watching the Republican Convention on TV, and hearing all the wonderfull things people tell, one wonders whether there is a truth than can be shared between people. Does every individual has his own truth ? I am not referring to people that would lie on purpose. I really believe that people genuinely tell the truth, at least what they perceive as being the truth.

How then could we communicate ? How do we do research ? Is it at all possible to communicate anything "objective" and research anything "objective"? Is what we observe really there, or is it only the pair of glasses that we choose to look through, that makes us see what we see ?

These are all important questions, at least in my opinion, on which we are still making many assumptions. Are people living in their own (imaginary) world, that for them is real of course, but that is almost unaccessible for any other person ? And as somebody once said, does it matter ?

And now we want to manage the world (in politics), or somewhat smaller, manage a company. Can we do anything else than managing the diversity of each and every individual, probably organising the necessary networks of interaction ? Isn't this what complexity theory is all about ? We still have a long way to go before we are able to understand consciousness, and as long as we do not understand consciousness, I am afraid it will be difficult to manage effectively.