Website of Valerie Wilkinson

Propose a system. That is the name of the game. Name that system. As soon as you name it, it exists. Then there is that which is inside and that which is outside the system. ALL details of contents, internal relations, networking and how situated in what environment(s) are unique to each system – yet may share certain structural features and processes with other systems. Analog "pattern" information assures that information can be transmitted along very many lines or by attractive structural developments or procedures. So, what system should we talk about?

We begin with something – a person in a shop that sells wine. And it all begins from there. We look at the shop, the history, the reasons, the vision. We look at the customers, the good, the positioning, the shop front and entrance, the displays. And we watch the owner interact with customers, with us, with her phone. And while we are with her, she unfolds her story. I like her and I like listening to her story — she brings in her family, her husband, his parents, her children, her health, her daily life, her projects, successes, and dreams.

We are looking at a living system.

It has been long since I wrote a blog, more than a year! Busy doing General Systems Theory, applied and active.

V

Events are for the sake of the networks.? Is the reverse true?? When it is true, the work of the network is limited to the event.? Whereas, if events are for the sake of networking, numerous events are possible — both in preparation for the event and in order to evaluate the event.? But the preparations and evaluations, as valuable as they are in themselves, are arranged for the development of the networks, for networking opportunities, and not for the accrual of specific bits of information.

This attitude towards events and gatherings represents a primary difference between formal and informal networks and?communication routes.? ?

Does The Party exist for networking?? Or does The Party exist for itself?? Herein lies the great paradox.? For if, in pursuit of producing the great event, it is forgotten that The Party exists and requires devotion, responsibility, and cultivation, both The Party and the integrity of the human networks will suffer.? So serving The Party or serving THE GUESTS must be?counted as the pre-eminent duty of the time, even though the networks are the life.? To create a good event is the very means of developing a network with integrity.? Smile!

Look at it this way. The participant/observer toggle switch is a rudimentary form of double-loop learning. At least, it is an epistemological tool that is fairly easy to describe and helps one access second order processing.

I admit that in the breezy early days of reading Bateson and thinking about “deutero-learning” and recognizing “contexts of learning”, not just “learning”, it was fairly easy, and dismissive, to say that Argyris’ double-loop learning was another way to say the same thing.

Of course it is another cognitive tool of a similar sort to second-order learning or even Goffman’s Frame Analysis. The dismissive part comes in when you fail to USE THE TOOLS, because you think you understand them.

I have been going around today saying “this is a context for double-loop learning”. It seems to me that “mindful walking” could be a similar sort of tool. But the point is, if I am working with “double-loop learning” and I have Chris’ books and am reading the cases with the double column style of recording, well, I am letting him teach me, not Bateson, not Goffman. And his technique sheds a lot of light on my present.

His contexts are organizational and his “learners” are managers and teachers. I am a teacher too. I admit to having been stumped for years by problems that I now see are conflicts (cognitive dissonance) between my dreams of Model II environments and the realities of Model I theories in use.

I just want to say, however, that there are a lot of trade-offs and relational difficulties to be encountered in situations that are not institutionally defined as Model II and the participants would not be there unless they felt on safe ground of Model I organization. In other words, I do not find many people at all who want to initiate, to try something new, to take responsibility. If the moist space for Model II development is opened and let dry up, the effect on a whole situation is devastating. Only a determined policy of creating appropriate Model II choice situations and graceful ways of slipping back into Model I if required seems to work.

That is, if the success of the project matters. If it doesn’t matter if the project is carried out, then try Model II with beginners and see what happens. But if it is important that schedules be kept, persons contacted, arrangements be made, and if individuals entrusted with those jobs only want to do what they are told, not develop their position, then Model I it is. This is a depressing note to end this note on.

So I will end with Bootstraps. Bootstraps are cognitive acts of supreme self-reinforcement. Using the force and dynamism of a personal initiative, and gathering even a small amount of will to learn and try something different, the obstacle can be overcome. It is just a matter of some small switch somewhere, an interaction, an agreement, a success.

So don’t give up, even if it really seems hard going. Unless all of the sense of obstruction seems to be a kind of proof that change cannot be orchestrated and it is not our business to work with change. Hmmm. Why does that not seem to be a viable choice to me? But on the otherhand, a good case can be made for inner work being the most fruitful source of change. Hmmm. But then, that should lead to acts of understanding and consciousness in real presents that might bring positive (wholesome) change. VAW

Chris Argyris defined double loop so succinctly on page xii of Reasoning Learning and Action: If the thermostat did question its setting or why it should be measuring heat at all, that would require re-examining the underlying program.? This is called double-loop learning.

On page 94 of the same book, Argyris mentioned Gregory Bateson’s “deutero-learning”, which Bateson basically defined in Steps to an Ecology of? Mind as “second order learning” or “recognizing a context for learning”. ?

We are going to produce a Christmas Communication Project and Event this semester in an effort to create a total intelligent learning environment.? It is an event that has some features that are traditional and routine.? The place, so far, has been Sanaru Kaikan Hall.? Christmas has certain motifs that are? welcome, even if hackneyed and totally predictable.? Yet there is always space for novelty as well.? Each top manager has a chance to define things, each cooking team has a chance to choose new menu items, each entertainment manager can create a new vision.??

You would be amazed how many times the game of bingo has been proposed as the best entertainment possibility.? I think it has been proposed every single year.? Only a detailed refutation of the game’s communication potential and fierce resistance has prevented the game from always showing up — though it does make appearance no matter what.? It’s a default menu.? Whenever there is a lull in management, a game of bingo appears.? Oh, but I must say that some perfectly predictable children’s game could be just the thing.? People can be quite delighted carrying eggs on spoons.? Or the game of bingo done in a totally new way.? Well, actually, to catch on to “double-loop learning” sometimes it could just be how many watermelons we used.? Two watermelons.? Two watermelons is enough for 100 to 150 people.? I don’t know why.? Three is too many.?

The point being that the whole point of the whole exercise is that some of us can catch on to learning to learn, to use experiences to learn, any experiences.? The chance that the extracurricular, yet academic, activity gives us to evaluate how and why we do things, what we did, what we learned, and what we could do — is amazing.? The environment is so rich with random and unknown features.? Contingency everywhere.? Yet the details are recoverable with some patience and the reports of participants.

But more importantly, for managers, there are absolutely tons of moments when communications fail, feelings get hurt, people act heroically and are adored for their adroit timing and deft handling of situations.? Relationships fail to gel.? Sometimes things work well.? We can see why.? We can see it.? We all see it and we can talk about it — well, we can’t.? There are serious taboos in place.? That is what we are working with.?

Actually, the whole thing is a very joyous and passionate experience.? I wish you could be there and tell me what you see.? Vandy?

The Faculty of Informatics was founded in the year 1995 and graduated its first year of students in March, 2000.? We have now graduated 7 years of students and are beginning to think about how to organize our Alumni Association.

The Alumni Association of our faculty is partnered with Sanaru Kogyokai, the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Engineering and both are nested in the larger Alumni Association of The University of Shizuoka!? Knowing that, what do we know?

Well, how the creation of the entity is managed and organically merges — and who takes charge each year, and how managers are recruited, and so on, remains to be seen.? Needless to say, there will be a million details and decisions in the unfolding — and if you who are reading this entry are actually a Faculty Graduate — an Alumnus (OB) or Alumna (OG) perhaps you have some ideas and opinions about how things should be organized.? Talk to us!? From Vandy

The great networking event of the season! Except of course for JCompa! Please participate in these events if possible and develop your own networks.

Vandy

Date: July 8, Saturday

Time: 16:00 to 20:00

Place: Sanaru Kaikan

For More Information:

Director of Tanabata Party: Hayato Hirasawa

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Business Manager of Tanabata Party: Naoya Kawai
info@tanabataparty.com
http://tanabataparty.com
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Sad to say, I am still learning how to manage this site. But if you dropped in and you are interested in our events, please feel free to volunteer!!!!? There will be more soon.

The first Video Contest was an “omnibus”, edited by Miyazaki, with three short films: “Promises” d. Wilkinson, “Blush” d. Nishiguchi, and “E-motion” d. Miyazaki.? That was the year 2000.? Organizationally speaking, we need a goal, a production group, advertising, and after the event, we need evaluation and to report the results.? This actually hasn’t happened yet.? Nevertheless, we have usually managed to gather about 10 videos to show at the contest, and we have usually been able to select a “grand prix” from the submissions.

The Video Contest is an idea that has not taken wings.

The Video work is “analog information”!?

Here it is in a nutshell.? If we attracted attention, received interesting submissions, viewers (audience), feed-back, we would also attract high-school students who want to work with video at the Faculty of Informatics in their extra-curricular activities.? We would get people who want to make a movie, show a movie, and find out what people think about it.

I would love to hear any ideas about how to make this work.?

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