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

SUBJECTS
Wideman Associates
Throw a Match On It
Cognitive Science Unfamiliar, Quackery

1105 -
1105 -    ..
1106 - Summary/Objective
1107 -
110701 - Follow up ref SDS 19 0000, ref SDS 16 0000.
110702 -
110703 - Received ref DRT 1 from Max who seems to endorse the conclusion in ..
110704 - ref DIP 2 9488, sent on 990303, ref SDS 19, that Communication Metrics
110705 - provides a new path to good science.  We discussed this previously on
110706 - 970818. ref SDS 12 6570
110708 -  ..
110709 - Max expresses concern about how long it takes for new ideas to take
110710 - hold, as in the case of Miller's 1955 paper on information theory
110711 - ref OF 4 9477, reviewed on 990303. ref SDS 19 0920
110713 -  ..
110714 - On 970704 Max recalled disappointment in his 30s about helping people
110715 - improve management practice. ref SDS 11 8894
110717 -  ..
110718 - On 970601 Bill Benkavitch was similarly troubled. ref SDS 10 0900
110720 -  ..
110721 - On 980902 organizational viscocity impedes acceptance. ref SDS 15 5739
110722 -
110723 -      [On 990311 sent Max a letter. ref SDS 21 3472]
110724 -
110725 -      [On 990314 better writing helps. ref SDS 22 9952]
110726 -
110727 -      [On 990319 Max was not into cognitive science. ref SDS 23 1750]
110729 -  ..
110730 - Resistance to new methods was reviewed on 960612 in connection with
110731 - Intel fighting hard against microprocessors, then it turns out to be
110732 - their salvation. ref SDS 8 1368  One would think, there would be
110733 - potential to introduce new ideas for consideration at a place that was
110734 - saved by at last embracing a new method, but this ignores the power of
110735 - fear and denial cited by Intel's CEO in his book reviewed on 980307.
110736 - ref SDS 13 6148
110738 -  ..
110739 - Another factor is biology, again a similar point to Miller...
110740 -
110741 -     People are genetically wired to react to physical things: a faster
110742 -     car, a bigger building, a box with pictures and sound, fresh fruit
110743 -     at the grocery in winter, are all things we can "sink our teeth
110744 -     into."
110746 -      ..
110747 -     People like to talk about "better management," but it occupies no
110748 -     physical space.  We cannot touch or see it.  It produces the
110749 -     predicate to things rather than actual "things."  People hope that
110750 -     those hired to produce things sold to earn revenue can, also,
110751 -     "manage" if they go to MBA class, seminars and read the PMBOK.  In
110752 -     good times this works because we can buy off mistakes and go home
110753 -     to watch TV or take the kids to little league.
110755 -      ..
110756 -     In fact when management works well, we do not even know it is
110757 -     working.
110759 -      ..
110760 -     Besides hurt feelings, cited on 990303, ref SDS 19 8151, there is
110761 -     resistance to Communication Metrics because the deliverable is an
110762 -     intangible, "intelligence," that seems like extra cost, when in
110763 -     fact it is the source of savings and income.
110765 -      ..
110766 -     Miller's paper is met with excitement, because it presents theory
110767 -     to solve a mystery, to wit:  why does more information cause harm
110768 -     rather than help?  When theory is applied in tools and changes to
110769 -     work practices, fear and denial, borne of ignorance, resist even
110770 -     investigation and trial. ref SDS 8 1368  Why?  It turns out that
110771 -     explaining a theory imparts information rather than knowledge, as
110772 -     developed on 900303. ref SDS 1 7739
110774 -      ..
110775 -     So, the answer to why it takes so long for good ideas to become
110776 -     accepted? ref SDS 0 7611
110777 -
110778 -         [On 010924 discussed why SDS is a unique development.
110779 -         ref SDS 24 QN7M
110780 -
110781 -         [On 011210 Buckminster Fuller contends an established takes
110782 -         about 50 years to adopt improvement. ref SDS 25 R66K
110784 -      ..
110785 -     It takes time to figure out how to usefully deploy a good theory.
110786 -     A critical mass of evolutionary factors have to coalesce.  The
110787 -     right path is often encountered by people looking for something
110788 -     else, who don't know anything about the theory; so more time is
110789 -     needed to recognize a "mistake" or even a minor success in one
110790 -     field, is actually enormously powerful when applied differently.
110791 -     It takes longer still to overcome resistance to application, and
110792 -     find situations where initial efforts can be used long enough to
110793 -     refine things.  By the time all this happens, originators of
110794 -     theory, and others who can grasp it, are working on other things.
110795 -     They cannot or will not invest the time to discover that something
110796 -     has come along that is more powerful than originally anticipated
110797 -     and more important than what they are doing.
110799 -          ..
110800 -         [On 040802 Gary does not have time to work on explaining SDS
110801 -         support for "intelligence" in an ASB filing to set a standard
110802 -         on saving time using SDS for organizational memory.
110803 -         ref SDS 26 0001
110805 -      ..
110806 -     Ultimately, it is a matter of recognizing patterns that occur over
110807 -     long time spans, which is the province of religion, and more
110808 -     recently cognitive science, which for most is a mystery.
110809 -
110811 -  ..
110812 - Intelligence Overwhelms, Shocks Initially, Then Becomes Helping Hand
110813 -
110814 - SDS and Communication Metrics work fine without the Internet and w95,
110815 - to accomplish Millier's initial point...
110816 -
110817 -         Operating system for people and organizations to handle the
110818 -         growth of information endemic to civilization.
110820 -  ..
110821 - The Internet provides a deliverable, but even here, there is initial
110822 - shock at the complexity in the microcosm of the human mind, commonly
110823 - called the subconscious, from even a simple one sentence letter....
110824 - ref SDS 19 9499
110826 -  ..
110827 - On 990211, managers are "overwhelmed" by the this new environment of
110828 - "intelligence." ref SDS 17 7329
110830 -  ..
110831 - When people get used to seeing the details, however, they adjust to a
110832 - new reality and welcome the power to look more deeply when needed,
110833 - rather than panic at the prospect of overlooking something because
110834 - their conscious span of attention is momentarily overwhelmed.  This
110835 - makes "intelligence" work a helping hand rather than feared for
110836 - accountability, reviewed on 980405. ref SDS 14 2691
110838 -  ..
110839 - So, it just takes time for people to get comfortable with the power of
110840 - the microcosm, discussed with Intel on 950927. ref SDS 7 5412
110842 -  ..
110843 - This can be aided by respected people writing about the ideas and
110844 - encouraging others to investigate, as was done with Miller's paper,
110845 - on 990303. ref SDS 19 0920
110846 -
110847 -
110848 -
110849 -
1109 -