The Big Picture

I've been gorging on documentaries lately. It keeps my mind occupied so I don't dwell on the emptiness of my home now that my son and roommate have moved out. I'm alone for the first time in well over 20 years. Thankfully, there is a wonderful array of quality documentaries and series available which keep my mind happily engaged turning over the new information. I keep playing with the new ideas to discover whether any of it would be useful in addressing any of the problems I see at work or home. Some documentaries I watch just to feed my own passion for ancient history and the early development of civilizations, technologies, trade and belief systems.

The lessons I've learned from examining humanity's ancient past have given me a strong optimism for the future. Our species was forged by the challenges we faced and conquered. We are incredibly adaptable, brilliantly inventive and, when many of us work together, there isn't much we can't do. Although those very strengths can be misdirected, or twisted with violence, fear or cruelty - it will eventually be squashed. Humans don't like repression, and have repeatedly found ways to defeat, outwit, or sabotage the perpetrators. Again and again we use our wits, and whatever resources we can muster, to meet challenge after challenge.

Where do I get that from?

Research coming out of Catalhyuk (Anatolia), Casma (Peru), Great Britain, China and India has revealed a whole new view of what our species is capable of. Our early civilizations were surprising peaceful. Conflict, war and armed aggression didn't play a significant role until two or more groups wanted the same resources or real estate.

The research by physical anthropologists made leaps in discovering just how our species evolved by new finds of isolated groups of early humans, and new information about the many environmental changes and challenges our ancestors faced time and time again.

So, I guess my faith is in my species. Some believe in God. I respect that belief, but I do not share it. I do believe my confused, and sometimes very confusing, brothers and sisters in the human family will persevere and rise to meet the new challenges we face today with the same brilliance we have used in the past.

Now, if only we can all learn to collaborate, then we won't need coercion or repression to come together in sufficient numbers to effect the changes we need.

Belief & Behaviour

I reviewed a lot of literature over the past few days and took a hard critical look at the debate which seems to be raging on the subject of Belief, Knowledge, Truth and Behaviour. The story is very different when I look at these areas through the lens of philosophy, versus psychology; and these are different again from those who seek to profit from their expertise (as executive coaches) in applying the still shifting theoretical framework in the business world.

So where do I stand?

I quickly ran into a major problem with the idea of TRUTH. It is subjectively defined and a wide range of data may be accepted as "evidence". Let me briefly run through the key concepts I've encountered:

• We have, via natural selection, developed into a species that seeks information to better survive, and exploit to our own advantage, the environments we find ourselves in.
• We are social animals, and as such, are to some degree dependent on the continued goodwill of those we live and work with. Therefore the beliefs and opinions of my family, neighbours and co-workers will have an impact on the decisions I make. How much of an impact they may have on my behaviour, and to what degree they impact my own beliefs will vary depending on how much importance I ascribe to a particular social relationship. I will likely place a great deal more importance on the beliefs and expectations of a spouse, than I would on those of a distant relative I see only once every few years.
• We have adapted to a reality that a few false positives are less detrimental to our well-being than the odd catastrophic false negative. (ex: Is that a threat to me or my resources? If I act as if it IS a threat, whether it really is or not, I'll feel more secure about the well being of myself and my stuff. If I decide that I don't really KNOW that's a threat, and behave accordingly, I may be wrong -- with disasterous results.)
• Some perspectives, like that expressed by Neale Walsh in The New Revelations (Hodder Mobius, 2002), say that humans tend to believe that doing something will make things better, when in fact we should be looking at beliefs - rather than behaviours.
  "You can take whatever action you want to take to alter someone else's behaviour or to stop it, but unless you alter the beliefs that produced such behaviour, you will alter nothing and stop nothing. You can alter belief in 2 ways. Either by enlarging upon it, or by changing it completely. But you must do one or the other or you will not alter behaviour. You will merely interrupt it."
• The Theory of Reasoned Action as put forward by Miller (2005), and Ajzen's expansion of the model into the Theory of Planned Behaviour; both propose that the most utilitarian theoretical models incorporate belief(attitudes), social implications (subjective norms), and behaviour (behavioural intentions). In it's simplest form, Reasoned Action or Planned Behaviour can be expressed as a mathematical formula (Hale, 2003):

BI = (AB)W1+(SN)W2

BI = behavioural intention

(AB) = one's attidude toward performing the behaviour (attitude = sum of all beliefs related to the subject)

W = Empirically derived weights

SN = one's subjective norms related to performing the behaviour (influence of the attitudes of significant others in my life towards the behaviour)

The science looks good but it has to make some sense to me on a gut level--I need to see this in action to believe it! I realize our gut response is sometimes wrong but I cannot bring myself to ignore common sense, either. I can certainly grasp the the value of mis-belief (believing things that aren't true) as being utilitarian on an individual level. It's like the expression to "err on the side of caution". We get plenty of this in safety awareness education - "what to do if...." is supposed to help us avoid harm or damage in high risk situations.

People aren't dumb. They will find their own methods to express this in a variety of ways. Right off I'm thinking of how mothers will manipulate belief in their children to protect them from perceived harm "Don't stand in the boat dear, or you'll slip and drown". "Don't stick your finger in the socket -- it bites!" The concerned parent doesn't care whether the belief they are instilling in the child is true or not -- what matters is the safer behaviour that results from holding this belief.

Ok, I'm convinced this is a useful model for exploring how we choose what to do. Next, I want to consider applications for knowledge workers -- esp when our choices will have a real impact on the safety or wellbeing of our fellow humans.

My Knowledge: creating, sharing & applying

I've been attempting to wrap my brain around some of the challenges which continue to plague the knowledge workers in my workplace. I think much of the problem lies in the difficulty some of our decision-makers have in grasping the nature of knowledge, sharing it effectively and applying it in context. Each one may be very knowledgable indeed in their own area -- but cannot seem to communicate the information effectively with others who must then translate it into meaningful knowledge which can then be effectively applied. (Yikes! It even sounds complicated!)

There is a real NEED to build an individual and a collaborative approach to address knowledge gaps and the potential applications of new information. An article that explores this need can be found at:

http://www.roell.net/publikationen/distributedkm.shtml


As I continue to keep my field notes (of course I look at knowledge from the perspective of an Ethnographer / knowledge worker) and continue to analyse the behaviour patterns I've observed surrounding the creation and sharing of knowledge - I become increasingly convinced that the toughest problems CAN indeed be resolved with effective knowledge sharing.

What IS knowledge sharing?

> It's personal. Each individual has their own method of extrapolating meaning from information, then translating it into effective actions.

> It's collaborative. In discussion with others, the data is appropriately contextualized thus allowing the discussion members to check and balance the meanings extrapolated by individuals with regard potential applications.

What is NOT knowledge sharing?

> It's NOT a series of commandments. This is just information of a black/white nature -- there is no application or value here. (Consider "Ethical Guidelines" which are essentially a list of do's and don'ts -- none of which may be particularly helpful in the plethora of contexts not covered in the list).

> It's NOT "re-programming" people with a new process. People are not computers!! A computer will "think" what you tell it to think -- a human exposed to the same commands and data sets will choose to accept/reject or qualify the information in their own unique way. (Consider the plurality of biblical interpretations - one data set with infinite possiblities for interpretation and application -- including complete rejection of the whole set)

> It's NOT even the old carrot/stick approach to behaviour modification. With all due regard to the Watson/Skinner crowd, humans do not respond the same as pigeons! Humans often know when they are being manipulated, or they may be powerfully influenced by their suspicions of hidden agendas. We are selective in choosing which carrots or sticks we are willing to pay attention to. (Consider the underground economy, smoking, or high risk investing)

What happens when we are exposed to new information?

With the sum of all human knowledge doubling every 2.5 years, and the need for life-long learning increasingly critical at the individual level; knowing how to construct personal knowledge is an essential skill - both for individuals and groups. The construction of knowledge, like the construction of a building, must begin with an evaluation of the materials available. Think of the three little pigs: which house would YOU take refuge in? Straw, sticks or bricks?

Scenario:

I must choose a service provider. The service is one that I personally perceive as essential. The competition is fierce among potential suppliers - each of whom bombard me with "information" to enhance my "knowledge" of the services they offer. Some will attempt to discredit the competition with assurances that I'll never suffer the inconvenience of "X" as most customers do with other service providers. (Think of the recent commercial: "Sorry ma'm, looks like you've got bankers")

How do I choose? How do I sculpt bare data into applicable knowledge? How do I evaluate the material presented to me?

Being a of an introverted nature - I talk to myself as I shuffle through the information presented. I ask questions, gather information to cover the gaps, survey the experiences of others, and always, always read the fine print with a critical eye. I don't like surprises! I don't like being pressured to make a decision when critical information is vague or missing. I immediately distrust and reject some data, and readily accept and embrace others. (If I've received trustworthy information from a source in the past, I'm more likely to believe them next time. Whereas, if I've heard inconsistent, false or deliberately misleading information from a source, I'm more likely to reject what they have to say in the future.) This is part of the personal process of extrapolating meaning from presented information.

By surveying the experiences of others, I can reduce the time consuming process of accruing personal experience. This is the collaborative aspect of knowledge-sharing. I do not have the time, money or desire to experience the service of each provider first hand. However, if I speak with those who are willing to candidly share their own first hand experience, then I quickly and cheaply get to benefit from their experience.

The greater the risk I'm about to undertake, the more intently I will examine and question the material available to me. If I catch a whiff of anything I don't like - I'll dig deeper to get my information from more reliable sources and may change or modify the criteria required for "success" based on what I believe to be true.

... To be continued in: Knowledge, Belief and Truth

Let it Snow!

I'm finally moved into my new place! I have the trees up, presents bought and wrapped, and almost all the unpacking is done. I'm astonished at how much space there is in the new place (didn't seem that much bigger). But now I really don't care how cold it is outside or how frightful the weather -- I need only trundle through the pedway to reach work! I don't have to go outside at all unless it's to go to a store not represented in Scotia Square Mall. I love it! I can dash home for anything I forgot and be back in 5 min! No more waiting in the freezing cold for the bus that may -- or may not -- arrive.

The new place even has indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, weight room, gym, convenience store and pub all in the building. With all the pedways, I can even go to the bank, or for a good brisk walk without going outside. Hey, it's not that I hate winter -- I just hate being cold and wasting my time in transit. This move has allowed me to claw back 2 hours per work day. That means more sleep and more human contact - Whoo hoo!

This year we (read: me) didn't have the time to create a theme and make the ornaments for our holiday trees. One year we had a "Piratical Xmas"; and once a "Fabulous, Flying Machines" theme for decorations & gifts. This year there are just white mini lights on the tallest of the 3 trees. It looks pretty. I at least can look forward to having some time off for the holidays! First time in a while!

Cheers to all & Happy Festivus : )

Deva

Holy men and Morris the cat

Most of us don't like to say anything to believers because we understand the futility of reason in the face of faith. As far as I can tell, people can convince themselves of almost anything. Some very intelligent people like to keep the concept of divinity alive in their daily lives, even if they have lost their faith (sort of like a cat - doesn't really DO anything but makes life seem more comfy and familiar) That's nice.
As for me, I think we fabricate gods to give credence to what we want to believe is true, right and worthy. Over time, as a population's understanding of truth and rightness shifts further and further away from what their ancestors believed; so new gods, messiahs and prophets have to be manufactured to house and promote the new truths. I'm not saying all these figures were complete fictions. There may actually have been real people who had divinity thrust upon them - with or without their knowledge or consent. Others may have simply seen the opportunity play an enticing role, and seized it. Some of these divine beings, like Jesus, may have been completely fictitious constructs employed to make new ideas more convincing or appealing to a broader audience.
Normally believers sputter and protest against the possibility that their gods are little more than a narrative device or a marketing mascot. They can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing. Well, likely the choice to create these holy men were made then for the same reason advertisers create spokespeople today. Take Morris the cat who acted as the spokescritter for a cat food company. Was there a REAL cat? Yes, there were actually several real cats who played this same role. But AND THIS IS IMPORTANT - none of them could really talk.

Can't wait for this year!

Easter 2005 - Shubenacadie Park