Networks, Complexity, and Relatedness

Networks, Complexity, and Relatedness
Inquiry and learning into social networks, organizational network analysis, and the relationships among people and systems in complex organizations and networks.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

The mush

Part of the reason I haven't blogged for a while (and I do hope that readers will forgive the spate of catching up) is that "everything is all smashing together." At a Gennova meeting last month, I heard (not since verified) that MIT is trying to restructure its departments and areas of study. It is finding that it is very difficult to do this, because so many disciplines are "all smashing together." Its the complexity that is upon us, the holographic, every-piece-holds-the-mirror-to-all-the-pieces view of the world that makes it very hard to sit down and just decide what to work on.

The aforementioned elearningpost provided a definition of "knowledge worker" from Wired: Someone paid to think. At the beginning of this century two-thirds of working US citizens earned their livings by making things; today two-thirds earn theirs by making decisions. This change has brought prosperity and standards of living our grandparents could only dream of. But it has also made the world a less certain place: A knowledge worker, today's bosses say only half in jest, is someone who can never quite manage to define their own job.

Define our own jobs? Of course we do, and it's very hard when everything is smashing together. In New York, I got to meet the fabulous Judith Meskill in person. (One of the other reasons I stopped blogging, about social networks in particular, is that Judith has now created a site for sense- and meaning-making of this all.) I am back blogging because she encouraged me to do so (and because I recently met someone who described himself as a "fan" of my blog, which makes me responsible).

I mentioned to Judith that I'd been in a strange state all winter -- and unsure about how to prioritize professional goals, client commitments, and personal learning into a coherent package. She reassured me that I was not alone, that she knew many people who'd been in this same state. I'm not sure if they all feel as battered by all the smashing going on that I do, but I know that at least the sun is finally shining and the air feels warm.

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patti anklam. How to make networks work.

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