Decision making and trends in the network economy

Decision Making and Trends in the
Network Economy

By Mario deSantis, January 29, 2000

Sometime ago, disgusted about the mismanagement of our public resources by our political

common sense must always be one of the criteria to support decisions leaders and bureaucrats, I felt the need to write few articles on how political or business decisions

could be made through a participatory process⁽¹⁾ rather than through the personal assets of

our leaders: power, greed, dishonesty and mutual manipulation. My reading in this field has

been facilitated somewhat by the fact that my son James is taking some university classes in

decision making; however, as at this time, I have not written anything in this matter. What is

very important in decision making is the use of common sense, that is common sense must

always be one of the criteria to support decisions. As we have already seen in prior articles,

the use of statistical and mathematical tools as the only means to support decisions is not

adequate⁽²⁾, and I would say that their widespread use is quite dangerous. So, in my reading,

I became first enthralled when I came across the book "Introduction to Decision Technology⁽³⁾".

The authors of this book take a very different approach in laying out what is required by

shift the emphasis from the analysis of mathematical models to making students active modelers management students. I appreciated the novel strategy of direct marketing of the book by

the authors; and, I also appreciated the fact that the authors shift the emphasis from the

analysis of mathematical models to making students active modelers through the use of

excellent application software. What I liked most is the authors' common sense approach

in dealing with innovation and creativity, starting with the marketing of their book, and finishing

with their desire to have feedback from the students and their employers.

Last December, I hyperlinked into the site of Jane Cull⁽⁴⁾, and I was able to read her excellent

we were experiencing still bigger and bigger mega mergers papers on human behaviour. Since then, I have exchanged few messages with Jane, and at one

point I expressed my discouragement in realizing that notwithstanding a global movement by

artists, writers, academicians, world leaders and politicians, to change our top down hierarchical

pyramidal way of thinking⁽⁵⁾, we were experiencing still bigger and bigger mega mergers, the

last biggest being the intended merger between American On Line and CNN/TimeWarner.

However, lately, I have been inspired to see a better vision of business by referring to the work

Bill Jensen has rediscovered simplicity as the new competitive advantage of Dee Hock⁽⁶⁾⁽⁷⁾ and Bill Jensen⁽⁸⁾. Dee Hock, the creator of VISA, has been working on the

creation of chaordic organizations, that is self-governing organizations arising from chaos and

order just like VISA or the INTERNET. Bill Jensen has rediscovered simplicity as the new

competitive advantage and says that simplicity is the "practical approach to competing in a

complex world filled with infinite choices."

Going back to the Saskatchewan economic environment and to the continuous mismanagement

our contingent priority is to unmask the deceptive behaviour of our leaders and bureaucrats of our resources, I feel that there is the need for better decision making processes. However,

when you further consider that our policy directions are purposely created to maintain a state of

confusion where only the most powerful and rich can survive⁽⁹⁾, then our contingent priority is to

unmask the deceptive behaviour of our leaders and bureaucrats, and given the opportunity, that is

what I intend to do in some future articles.

---------------Endnotes:

1.
-
Saskatchewan Bureaucracy: The Need of Better Decision Making Processes, by Mario deSantis, October 27, 1999

2.
The misuse of Statistics as a scientific tool, by Mario deSantis, January 18, 2000

3.
-
Introduction to Decision Technology, by Liberatore & Nydick, LN Publishing, Villanova, PA, USA. http://www77.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.nydick/dectech/course.html

4.
-
Jane Cull is the founder of Life's Natural Solutions, an educational consultancy supporting human growth and potential. http://www.ozemail.com.au/~jcull/

5.
-
-
METADESIGN: PART III-Reflections, by Humberto Maturana. An excerpt "...We live a culture centered in domination and submission, mistrust and control, dishonesty, commerce and greediness, appropriation and mutual manipulation..." http://www.inteco.cl/articulos/metadesign.htm

6.
-
The Trillion-Dollar Vision of Dee Hock, by M. Mitchell Waldrop http://www.fastcompany.com/online/05/deehock.html

7.
Birth of the Chaordic Age, by Dee Hock, Published in 1999 by Berrett - Koehler Publishers

8.
-
Simplicity: The New Competitive Advantage in a World of More, Better, Faster, by Bill Jensen. Published in January 2000, by Perseus Books http://www.simplerwork.com/book.htm

9.
-
Our leaders can't recognize an asset from a hole in the ground, by Mario deSantis, December 2, 1999

Decision Making and Trends in the Network Economy

*By Mario deSantis, January 29, 2000*
	Sometime ago, disgusted about the mismanagement of our public resources by our political
common sense must always be one of the criteria to support decisions	leaders and bureaucrats, I felt the need to write few articles on how political or business decisions
	could be made through a participatory process⁽¹⁾ rather than through the personal assets of
	our leaders: power, greed, dishonesty and mutual manipulation. My reading in this field has
	been facilitated somewhat by the fact that my son James is taking some university classes in
	decision making; however, as at this time, I have not written anything in this matter. What is
	very important in decision making is the use of common sense, that is common sense must
	always be one of the criteria to support decisions. As we have already seen in prior articles,
	the use of statistical and mathematical tools as the only means to support decisions is not
	adequate⁽²⁾, and I would say that their widespread use is quite dangerous. So, in my reading,
	I became first enthralled when I came across the book "Introduction to Decision Technology⁽³⁾".

	The authors of this book take a very different approach in laying out what is required by
shift the emphasis from the analysis of mathematical models to making students active modelers	management students. I appreciated the novel strategy of direct marketing of the book by
	the authors; and, I also appreciated the fact that the authors shift the emphasis from the
	analysis of mathematical models to making students active modelers through the use of
	excellent application software. What I liked most is the authors' common sense approach
	in dealing with innovation and creativity, starting with the marketing of their book, and finishing
	with their desire to have feedback from the students and their employers.

	Last December, I hyperlinked into the site of Jane Cull⁽⁴⁾, and I was able to read her excellent
we were experiencing still bigger and bigger mega mergers	papers on human behaviour. Since then, I have exchanged few messages with Jane, and at one
	point I expressed my discouragement in realizing that notwithstanding a global movement by
	artists, writers, academicians, world leaders and politicians, to change our top down hierarchical
	pyramidal way of thinking⁽⁵⁾, we were experiencing still bigger and bigger mega mergers, the
	last biggest being the intended merger between American On Line and CNN/TimeWarner.

	However, lately, I have been inspired to see a better vision of business by referring to the work
Bill Jensen has rediscovered simplicity as the new competitive advantage	of Dee Hock⁽⁶⁾⁽⁷⁾ and Bill Jensen⁽⁸⁾. Dee Hock, the creator of VISA, has been working on the
	creation of chaordic organizations, that is self-governing organizations arising from chaos and
	order just like VISA or the INTERNET. Bill Jensen has rediscovered simplicity as the new
	competitive advantage and says that simplicity is the "practical approach to competing in a
	complex world filled with infinite choices."

	Going back to the Saskatchewan economic environment and to the continuous mismanagement
our contingent priority is to unmask the deceptive behaviour of our leaders and bureaucrats	of our resources, I feel that there is the need for better decision making processes. However,
	when you further consider that our policy directions are purposely created to maintain a state of
	confusion where only the most powerful and rich can survive⁽⁹⁾, then our contingent priority is to
	unmask the deceptive behaviour of our leaders and bureaucrats, and given the opportunity, that is
	what I intend to do in some future articles.

---------------Endnotes:
1. -	Saskatchewan Bureaucracy: The Need of Better Decision Making Processes, by Mario deSantis, October 27, 1999

2.	The misuse of Statistics as a scientific tool, by Mario deSantis, January 18, 2000

3. -	Introduction to Decision Technology, by Liberatore & Nydick, LN Publishing, Villanova, PA, USA. http://www77.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.nydick/dectech/course.html

4. -	Jane Cull is the founder of Life's Natural Solutions, an educational consultancy supporting human growth and potential. http://www.ozemail.com.au/~jcull/

5. - -	METADESIGN: PART III-Reflections, by Humberto Maturana. An excerpt "...We live a culture centered in domination and submission, mistrust and control, dishonesty, commerce and greediness, appropriation and mutual manipulation..." http://www.inteco.cl/articulos/metadesign.htm

6. -	The Trillion-Dollar Vision of Dee Hock, by M. Mitchell Waldrop http://www.fastcompany.com/online/05/deehock.html

7.	Birth of the Chaordic Age, by Dee Hock, Published in 1999 by Berrett - Koehler Publishers

8. -	Simplicity: The New Competitive Advantage in a World of More, Better, Faster, by Bill Jensen. Published in January 2000, by Perseus Books http://www.simplerwork.com/book.htm

9. -	Our leaders can't recognize an asset from a hole in the ground, by Mario deSantis, December 2, 1999

Decision Making and Trends in the Network Economy

Decision Making and Trends in the
Network Economy