THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700
rodwelch@pacbell.net


S U M M A R Y


DIARY: October 29, 1997 12:21 PM Wednesday; Rod Welch

Received questions from Max Wideman on Communication Metrics.

1...Summary/Objective
2...Need Support on Meaning and Justification for Communication Metrics
3...Experience Needed to Grasp Meaning of New Methods, Com Metrics
4...Meaning Uses Experience/Faith to Convert Information into Knowledge
5..."Justification" is needed when meaning falls outside our experience.
6...Justification can come from credible sources. If those in whom we
7...Need Book on Cognitive Science and Communication and Management
....The report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dated 970328
....A.process of accumulating "chunks of experience" is explained in my
................Managing Toward Accountability for Performance
...."Ephemeral workings of the mind" reflects Max's comment in our
...."Writing" and its application in conventional computer programs for
....This point is explained in the paper on POIMS, the paper on the New
8...Justification Needs Experience, Credible Sources
9...Work the past year to obtain a published government review of
10...Max needs to observe the SDS environment on-line to gain a mental
11...Russ Archibald, who has written on project management, examined SDS on


..............
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CONTACTS 
0201 - Wideman, R. Max                                                                                                                                                    O-00000665 0101
020101 - Mr. R. Max Wideman

SUBJECTS
Black Box Shocking Incredible Savings
Water into Wine; PC subject of
Difficult to Grasp; SDS is Complex
Span of Attention Conceals Mistakes Need
Common Sense Shattered by Prospect of
1 Month Communication Metrics Recognized as
Uncommon Sense, Cognitive Science Not Understood
Attention Span Limited Causes Mistakes

2010 -
2010 -    ..
2011 - Summary/Objective
2012 -
201201 - Follow up ref SDS 12 0000, ref SDS 11 0000.
201202 -
201203 - Max requests support on the grounding of Communication Metrics in
201204 - Cognitive Science.  He raises important concerns about providing
201205 - justification for these fundamentals.  Apart from the fact that a new
201206 - system of knowledge by definition is difficult to initially convey, I
201207 - have failed to provide a clear, concise and complete explanation that
201208 - fits within the time available for review.
201210 -  ..
201211 - This is another dimension of limited span of attention.
201213 -  ..
201214 - One way of trying to overcome this limitation is using summaries
201215 - linked to detail.  But for people who are not used to detailed
201216 - research, and who have very limited time, this is not sufficient.
201217 - Another way would be to migrate SDS skills that increase command of
201218 - the record and provides expanded span of attention, but this too takes
201219 - time.  I will ask Max what he thinks would be a good solution.
201220 -
201221 -     [Responded on 971031, ref SDS 15]
201223 -      ..
201224 -     [On 971101 Max followed up. ref SDS 16]
201226 -      ..
201227 -     [On 980223 Max says a revised paper on NWO makes the ideas from
201228 -     Cognitive Science that are applied in Communication Metrics are
201229 -     more clear. ref SDS 18 1620]
201231 -      ..
201232 -     [On 990303 Max submits paper on cognitive science as a basis for
201233 -     PM knowledge structure. ref SDS 19 6318]
201234 -
201236 -  ..
2013 -
2014 -
2015 - Progress
2016 -
201601 - Received ref DRT 1 9999 from Max responding to my letter on 971027,
201602 - ref DIP 3 9999 issued at ref SDS 13 1111 and transmitting notes of our
201603 - discussion on 971024, ref SDS 11 line 78, and the ideas on common
201604 - administration and concurrent dispute resolution, CACDR, also called
201605 - "partnering" developed on ref SDS 11 3380.
201606 -
201607 -     [CACDR was discussed with Tom Keesling on 971030, ref SDS 14
201608 -     8840.]
201610 -  ..
201611 - Need Support on Meaning and Justification for Communication Metrics
201612 -
201613 - The letter to Max sets out a need to explain cognitive Science in
201614 - relation to management science, which people seem to have difficulty
201615 - with, as noted by Max in our discussion on 971024, when he described
201616 - cognitive science as "ephemeral," ref SDS 11 line 253.
201618 -  ..
201619 - This disconnect is reflected in Max's letter received today on the
201620 - definition of Communication Metrics, first developed on 950327. see at
201621 - ref SDS 4 4822
201623 -  ..
201624 - Max cites from my letter on 971027.
201625 -
201626 -    1.  Communication Metrics uses a theory of the mind as a process to
201627 -        accumulate chunks of experience within a span of attention, and
201628 -        to use that experience for analysing and organizing new
201629 -        information to grow new knowledge. ref DIP 3 8837
201631 -         ..
201632 -    2.  This improves ephemeral workings of the mind that cause rework,
201633 -        by providing consistency (accuracy) and expanding span of
201634 -        attention.
201636 -         ..
201637 -    3.  Writing of course expands span of attention.
201639 -         ..
201640 -    4.  Conventional writing in computers uses traditional analogs
201641 -        (e.g., documents, files, etc.) that are too slow for the faster
201642 -        pace and complexity of modern life.
201644 -         ..
201645 -    5.  Communication Metrics provides a key advance by integrating
201646 -        time and information. ref DIP 3 3040
201648 -  ..
201649 - Max then says:
201650 -
201651 -      I have difficulty with those statements. ref SDS 0 2940 Can you
201652 -      really justify them?  In fact, when I think about them, I am not
201653 -      sure what they mean. (If the foundation is not solid, the
201654 -      superstructure will not be safe.) ref DRT 1 9682
201656 -         ..
201657 -        [On 971101 Max requested logical, demonstrable arguement for
201658 -        basis of Com Metrics. ref SDS 16 4928; he made a big effort to
201659 -        study the concepts. ref SDS 16 8477]
201661 -         ..
201662 -        [On 980223 Max says a revised paper on NWO makes the ideas from
201663 -        Cognitive Science that are applied in Communication Metrics are
201664 -        more clear. ref SDS 18 1620]
201666 -         ..
201667 -        [On 990303 Max submits paper on cognitive science as a basis
201668 -        for PM knowledge structure. ref SDS 19 6318]
201669 -
201670 -            The paper explains limited span of attention based on human
201671 -            memory occuring in "chunks", ref SDS 19 2838, which Max
201672 -            questions above. ref SDS 0 2940  Scientific experiments
201673 -            showed people can handle about 7 subjects. ref SDS 19 6120
201675 -         ..
201676 -        [On 990313 Max cites Miller's paper in his own paper on PM
201677 -        knowledge. ref SDS 20 2704]
201679 -         ..
201680 -        [On 990319 Max is not into cognitive science. ref SDS 21 1750]
201681 -
201683 -  ..
201684 - Experience Needed to Grasp Meaning of New Methods, Com Metrics
201685 - Meaning Uses Experience/Faith to Convert Information into Knowledge
201686 -
201687 - Dialog over the past several months with Max, and government reports
201688 - on Communication Metrics have explained the meaning and justification
201689 - of these ideas, which Max questions.  Unfortunately, it appears Max
201690 - has not had time to read the full record, since he typically comments
201691 - on only the summary.  Max has given this matter more time than have
201692 - others, and this has been helpful to me, but not to the task of
201693 - absorbing a new system of knowledge.
201694 -
201695 -        [On 980209 I tried to clarify application of Cognitive Science
201696 -        to Communication Metrics in a revision of NWO paper. ref SDS 17
201697 -        1092]
201699 -         ..
201700 -        [On 980223 Max says a revised paper on NWO makes the ideas from
201701 -        Cognitive Science that are applied in Communication Metrics are
201702 -        more clear. ref SDS 18 1620]
201704 -      ..
201705 - Dr. Tom Landauer in his paper on Latent Semantic Analysis, explains
201706 - the process of conveying "meaning." ref SDS 6 2882  His precise
201707 - statement is:
201708 -
201709 -     ...a representation that captures much of how words are used in
201710 -     natural context captures much of what we mean by meaning.
201712 -  ..
201713 - My sense of Dr. Landauer's explanation is that "meaning" (also
201714 - "learning") is a constant process in the mind of correlating new
201715 - patterns, principally from sight and sound, but also of body movements
201716 - as in dancing and athletics, with patterns previously stored in the
201717 - mind called "experience," as stated in the 970328 USACE report.
201718 - ref DRP 1 6172  In the case of language, words received (observed and
201719 - heard) that have similar patterns (sentences, paragraphs) to those
201720 - already in the mind impart "meaning."  Significant portions of new
201721 - word patterns that are dissimilar to patterns already in the mind,
201722 - prevent "meaning" from occurring.  This can vary from no similarity to
201723 - complete pattern matching.
201725 -  ..
201726 - When people say "I think I know what you mean," they are uncertain
201727 - about word pattern similarity. They can also be quite certain that
201728 - word patterns match their experience, yet not grasp that a meaning is
201729 - related to a wider context in a different manner from their
201730 - experience.  The words have meaning to them that is different from
201731 - intended meaning, i.e., communication fails but is not apparent at the
201732 - time.  Variance in meaning makes communication hard, and management
201733 - problematic.  The problem is an opportunity for adding a system of
201734 - metrics to improve management productivity.
201736 -  ..
201737 - "Justification" is needed when meaning falls outside our experience.
201738 - In that case we have information, but have not acquired knowledge.  We
201739 - are unable to "...turn the water into wine."  Max seems to be saying,
201740 - "Rod, you have given me information, but I need some connections
201741 - (justification) in order to acquire "knowledge" -- to truly know what
201742 - you have in mind.  This reflects Drucker's observation about the
201743 - insidious impact of information on communication when there is not
201744 - enough time to create the connections that produce knowledge, reviewed
201745 - on 931130. ref SDS 3 2855
201747 -       ..
201748 -      [On 991124 Einstein relied on experience. ref SDS 22 0001]
201750 -       ..
201751 -      [On 040312 Professor Schombert's lectures on 21st century science
201752 -      reviews classical Newtonian physics, and cites the "locality
201753 -      principle" drives a chain of causation, and further that
201754 -      connections of cause and effect are the "intelligence" that adds
201755 -      energy to convert information into the power of knowledge.
201756 -      ref SDS 23 YH4G
201758 -  ..
201759 - Justification can come from credible sources.  If those in whom we
201760 - have faith, such as established writers, or a trusted figure, someone
201761 - we know, or a prominent person, endorses a claim that is outside of
201762 - our personal experience, we may be willing to take on faith assertions
201763 - of meaning until we accumulate experience to make an independent
201764 - judgement.  Basically, this boils down to whether someone in whom we
201765 - have faith has said similar things, i.e., closely aligned word
201766 - patterns.
201768 -  ..
201769 - I began to explain in this record "span of attention" as like being at
201770 - a football game or on a construction site.  We see a lot of people,
201771 - but only a few are within our span of attention and so can be absorbed
201772 - as "chunks of experience."  What is retained is the familiar and the
201773 - dissimilar.  When we see something that is aligned with what we
201774 - already know, we can retain it.  If we see an elephant in the stands
201775 - across the way, we will remember that because it conflicts with our
201776 - expectation to see a sea of unfamiliar faces, i.e., the rule of
201777 - exception.
201778 -
201780 -  ..
201781 - Need Book on Cognitive Science and Communication and Management
201782 -
201783 - Continuing this line of discussion, however, becomes a book on
201784 - cognitive science.
201785 -
201786 - Seems like Max's question supports the point of my letter that a book
201787 - is needed to explain communication and business performance in
201788 - relation to Cognitive Science.
201789 - ..
201790 - Taking each of Max's listings from my letter...
201791 -
201792 -    1.  Communication Metrics uses a theory of the mind as a process to
201793 -        accumulate chunks of experience within a span of attention, and
201794 -        to use that experience for analysing and organizing new
201795 -        information to grow new knowledge.
201796 -
201797 -    The report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dated 970328
201798 -    explains on page 1 the correlation between Cognitive Science and
201799 -    management productivity, ref DRP 1 line 107.
201800 -     ..
201801 -    A process of accumulating "chunks of experience" is explained in my
201802 -    paper on POIMS technology identifying an innate mental cycle of
201803 -    "plan, perform, report," ref OF 1 2301, which reflects Demings
201804 -    "Plan, Do, Study, Act," process, and, also the PMBOK process of
201805 -    "Initiate, Plan, Execute, Control, Close." ref SDS 5 4012.  Chunks
201806 -    of memory (experience) is also cited by Dr. Tom Landauer in his
201807 -    paper...
201808 -
201809 -         A Solution to Plato's Problem: The Latent Semantic Analysis
201810 -         (LSA) Theory of Acquisition, Induction, and Representation of
201811 -         Knowledge
201812 -
201813 -         ...reviewed on 960809. ref SDS 8 0085
201815 -     ..
201816 -    Like eating food, the mind absorbs information in "chunks" of
201817 -    varying amounts depending upon texture and speed of absorption.
201818 -
201819 -        [On 990303 Max submits scientific paper that supports human
201820 -        memory occurs in chunks. ref SDS 19 2838]
201821 -     ..
201822 -    "Span of attention" is used in the book written by Robert Albanese:
201823 -
201824 -                Managing Toward Accountability for Performance
201825 -
201826 -    .., ref SDS 9 line 248. However, Robert does no more than say that
201827 -    span of attention is limited, in about two sentences out of 400
201828 -    pages.  He spends considerably more time on span of control, which
201829 -    is something managers experience in changing the boxes on the
201830 -    organization chart.  It is fun and easy to do.
201832 -     ..
201833 -    Explaining the implications of limited span of attention is much
201834 -    harder because it requires delving into the workings of the "black
201835 -    box" of the human mind.  He simply says communication is the most
201836 -    important and difficult aspect of managing and leaves it at that,
201837 -    ref SDS 9 line 153.  Similarly, Peter Drucker cites "...a tendency
201838 -    today to give up on communication." ref SDS 3 3851
201840 -     ..
201841 -    This is like writing a book about fighting fires, saying it is
201842 -    difficult, then writing 400 pages on how to coil a fire hose and
201843 -    polish the fire engine.
201844 -
201845 -
201846 -    2.  This improves ephemeral workings of the mind that cause rework,
201847 -        by providing consistency (accuracy) and expanding span of
201848 -        attention.
201850 -     ..
201851 -    "Ephemeral workings of the mind" reflects Max's comment in our
201852 -    telecon on 971024, ref SDS 12 8288, submitted in notes issued on
201853 -    971027 at line 181849.  Max does not comment on this in his
201854 -    response, so he may not have had time to read the complete record.
201855 -    "Ephemeral" relates to fast changing, unstable.  Dr. Landauer's
201856 -    paper on LSA describes "meaning" as in constant flux in the mind,
201857 -    ref SDS 7 line 377.  The correlation between limited span of
201858 -    attention and rework is explained in the report issued by the U.S.
201859 -    Army Corps of Engineers dated 971007, ref DRP 3 line 567.
201860 -
201862 -         ..
201863 -    3.  Writing of course expands span of attention.
201865 -         ..
201866 -    4.  Conventional writing in computers uses traditional analogs
201867 -        (e.g., documents, files, etc.) that are too slow for the faster
201868 -        pace and complexity of modern life.
201869 -     ..
201870 -    "Writing" and its application in conventional computer programs for
201871 -    wordprocessing and email is explained in my paper on POIMS
201872 -    technology, ref OF 1 line 522, and also in the paper on the "New
201873 -    World Order Needs Old Time Religion." ref OF 3 line 953.
201874 -
201875 -    5.  Communication Metrics provides a key advance by integrating
201876 -        time and information.
201877 -     ..
201878 -    This point is explained in the paper on POIMS, the paper on the New
201879 -    World Order Needs Old Time Religion, ref OF 3 line 979.  It is
201880 -    explained in the report on Communication Metrics issued by the U.S.
201881 -    Army Corps of Engineers dated 970328, ref DRP 1 line 536.
201882 -
201884 -  ..
201885 - Justification Needs Experience, Credible Sources
201886 -
201887 - Max makes the important point that lack of justification to support a
201888 - system of knowledge, indicates inadequate foundation leading to the
201889 - prospect that the "superstructure will fall." ref DRT 1 line 37.
201890 -
201891 - Work the past year to obtain a published government review of
201892 - Communication Metrics was aimed at developing justification from a
201893 - credible source.  Efforts to get Max and others to write about
201894 - Communication Metrics is aimed at broadening the base of support so
201895 - people will feel safe about trying a new system of knowledge, so that
201896 - they can discover their fears are unjustified.
201898 -  ..
201899 - The SDS program is designed to facilitate identifying, creating and
201900 - preserving the linkages that show support for analysis, or what is
201901 - also called "thinking."
201902 -  ..
201903 - Max needs to observe the SDS environment on-line to gain a mental
201904 - picture that might answer some of his concerns.
201905 -
201906 - Russ Archibald, who has written on project management, examined SDS on
201907 - 900723.  This was before all of the linking Functionality of SDS was
201908 - fully implemented, however, the discussion with Russ, ref SDS 1 line
201909 - 78, touched on issues Max raises...
201910 -
201911 -     I asked Russ if he feels the demonstration showed the features he
201912 -     expected from reading the [explanation] I sent him?
201914 -      ..
201915 -     Russ said it appears that SDS actually permeates and supports an
201916 -     entire organization, as well as each individual User. Initially,
201917 -     he believed from review of the material I sent, that it was mainly
201918 -     a personal management aid.
201920 -      ..
201921 -     He commented that the line numbers permit citing the record in the
201922 -     manner of legal briefs.
201924 -      ..
201925 -     Russ commented that implementation of management systems is
201926 -     difficult because people tend to revert to prior practices after
201927 -     the consultant leaves the scene.
201929 -      ..
201930 -     I offered that management "systems" fail because they depend upon
201931 -     people entering "data" for the organization, which is extra work
201932 -     to them.  SDS works the other way.  It provides data organization
201933 -     needs, as a by product of people creating the knowledge they want
201934 -     in order to perform their work.
201936 -      ..
201937 -     As people become aware that the "system" gives access to something
201938 -     they want (i.e. THEIR knowledge and ideas), SDS becomes addictive.
201939 -     Others want to use it, so they can have the power they see and
201940 -     experience from superior knowledge.
201942 -  ..
201943 - If Max has worked with Russ, he may be able to visit with Russ on
201944 - these ideas, as a source of justification.
201945 -
201946 -     [Max reports on 971101 knowing Russ, ref SDS 16 line 86.]
201947 -
201948 -
201949 -
201950 -
201951 -
201952 -
2020 -
2021 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"


































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