Comments on: Story time 11: ferreting and the new conditions of corporate knowledge

By: Quotulatiousness

Quotulatiousness — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 23:59:02 +0000

QotD: Anthropology

Anthropologists are trained in a particular kind of pattern recognition. They are obliged to think of a culture all at once because, according to the post Kantian idea here, a culture, given its druthers, orders all the world all…

By: John McCreery

John McCreery — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 01:51:52 +0000

Free metaphor for sale (steal it if you like). I tell my students in Japan that studying Japanese marketing is like standing in front of a fire hose and trying to extract a few drops of water.

By: Grant

Grant — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:14:16 +0000

Ennis, yes, you are right, of course. Without more careful, thoughtful scrutiny, the world would be hard to endure. But I wonder if we shouldnt divide the world of marketing into those with fast twitch muscles, the sprinters who do best when travelling at speed, and those with slow twitch muscles, those who good at long distances. But this is of course one of those, “let’s say the world divides into two categories” notions that are so beloved of the fast twitch variety. Thanks, Grant

Peter, great point, if people had any idea what the odds really were against, they would cease and desist. So might we all. Thanks, Grant

By: Peter McB.

Peter McB. — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 05:20:10 +0000

Ennis — your comment is interesting, since you are asking for some objective assessment of a subjective pattern discerned, perhaps vaguely and imperfectly at first.

In my experience, all the successful entrepreneurs I have met have objectively-false beliefs about their own chances of success. They believe, strongly and contrary to all the evidence, that their vision is how the world really is, or soon will be, and that given enough time, resource, and opportunity, they can profit from it. Irrational is the word most of us would use for this characteristic. They certainly would not give a positivist nice, warm feelings.

Of course, unsuccessful entreprenuers, IME, also have these objectively-false beliefs. So, this characteristic does not distinguish them.

By: Ennis

Ennis — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 00:20:04 +0000

Grant, with all due respect, this is why I am a positivist. Interpretation is a great way to come up with hypotheses but the mind is great at seeing all sorts of patterns; consider the visions of the Virgin perceived in every imaginable smudge.

Positivism says, OK – maybe you’re interpretation is correct. Let’s see how consistently it applies. Let’s see how much leverage it gives. Without this second step it’s harder for people like me to sort out the genuinely insightful points (like the ones that Grant makes) from the snake oil that is commonly peddled but which sounds pretty good.

By: linkage

linkage — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 12:08:56 +0000

http://www.abstractdynamics.org/linkage/archives/006538.html

on anthropologist and mba pattern recognition…

By: Peter McB.

Peter McB. — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 14:30:08 +0000

Look in the noise, ask what’s not in the data, see the patterns that are not yet patterns. Fish in water would never discover water.