Comments on: Thinking harder about enfranchisement and cyberspace http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/09/01/thinking-harder-about-enfranchisement-and-cyberspace/ a blog about information Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:37:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Stephen Smoliar http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/09/01/thinking-harder-about-enfranchisement-and-cyberspace/comment-page-1/#comment-182275 Stephen Smoliar Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:02:16 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/09/01/thinking-harder-about-enfranchisement-and-cyberspace/#comment-182275 JP, while I do not in any way doubt either the sincerity or the desirability of your ideals, I am a bit troubled that all this talk about "potential" is, in the words of one of your Categories (whose specific language I do not like very much), retarded-hippie-speak. I have come to the conclusion that the major problem that faces any business, regardless of scale, is the VOLATILITY of the context in which all operations (internal and external) are embedded. As a result every CEO has basically the same goal: SURVIVAL IN THE FACE OF VOLATILITY. This is why, for example, making decisions in the face of overwhelming volumes of data is so intimidating, since you have to implement your decision before it has gone obsolete. So, if you will allow me to push your punch line into the metaphor of physics, enterprise management today is all kinetic and no potential. The boss who is quick to "think on his feet" always trumps the reflective analyst, even when the latter comes up with more effective results. I do not like these conditions any more than you do; but we are not going to make them go away by (PACE Engels) enfranchising the masses. I really wish I DID have more constructive ideas for turning things around; but, from where I sit, I am hard pressed even to find sources of leadership that might be able to lead the world of business out of the wilderness! JP, while I do not in any way doubt either the sincerity or the desirability of your ideals, I am a bit troubled that all this talk about “potential” is, in the words of one of your Categories (whose specific language I do not like very much), retarded-hippie-speak. I have come to the conclusion that the major problem that faces any business, regardless of scale, is the VOLATILITY of the context in which all operations (internal and external) are embedded. As a result every CEO has basically the same goal: SURVIVAL IN THE FACE OF VOLATILITY. This is why, for example, making decisions in the face of overwhelming volumes of data is so intimidating, since you have to implement your decision before it has gone obsolete.

So, if you will allow me to push your punch line into the metaphor of physics, enterprise management today is all kinetic and no potential. The boss who is quick to “think on his feet” always trumps the reflective analyst, even when the latter comes up with more effective results. I do not like these conditions any more than you do; but we are not going to make them go away by (PACE Engels) enfranchising the masses. I really wish I DID have more constructive ideas for turning things around; but, from where I sit, I am hard pressed even to find sources of leadership that might be able to lead the world of business out of the wilderness!

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