The Consultant...
...different thinking, from the pen of Dr David Atkinson

The Consultant...

...with apologies to Leo Tolstoy, adapted from Anna Karenina, as published (2007) in "Thinking the Art of Management"


[The consultant] had a talent for understanding [management artworks]

and for imitating [them] with accuracy and good taste, and he

imagined that he possessed the real power [a manager] needs. After

wavering for some time between various kinds of [management art –

six-sigma, business process re-engineering, entrepreneurialism, or corporate

innovation – he began to advise his client]. He understood all

the different kinds and was able to draw inspiration from all, but he

could not imagine that it is possible to be quite ignorant of the different

kinds of [management art] and to be inspired directly by what is in

one’s own soul, regardless of whether what one [does] belongs to any

particular school. As he did not know this, and was not inspired

directly by life but indirectly by life already embodied in [management

art], he found inspiration very readily and easily, and equally readily

and easily produced [management artworks] very similar to the school

of [management art] he wished to imitate. He liked the… effective

[Knowledge Management School] best, and in that style began [advising

his client in the model of a previous client] and he, as well as every

one else who saw [his work], considered [it] to be a great success.

David Atkinson, BEng, PhD, FIET, FHEA, FRSA

Applying Negative Dialectics in AI for a Critically Better Future.

7 年

Just though I would bring this passage upto date for the AI-enhanced world we are marching into! [Robo-consultant] had been programmed with an AI-talent for understanding [management consulting artworks] and for imitating [them] with accuracy and good taste, and his operators imagined that he possessed the real power [a manager] needs. After wavering for some time between various kinds of [management consulting art – six-sigma, business process re-engineering, entrepreneurialism, and corporate innovation to name a few, much like a “real” consultant – Robo-consultant began to advise its client]. [It] understood all the different kinds [of management and leadership model] and was able to draw inspiration from all, but [it] could not [compute] that it is possible to be quite ignorant of the different kinds of [management consulting art] and to be inspired directly by what is in one’s own soul, regardless of whether what one [does] belongs to any particular school. As [Robo-consultant, and its operators,] did not know this, and [were] not inspired directly by life but indirectly by life already embodied in [management art through AI, Robo-consultant] found inspiration very readily and easily, and equally readily and easily produced [management artworks] very similar to the school of [management art it] wished to imitate. [It] liked the… effective [Knowledge Management School] best, and in that style began [advising its client in the model of a previous client] and Robo-consultant, as well as everyone else who saw [its work], considered [it] to be a great success.

回复
Ivan Brewer

Former multi-site venue owner now CEO/ Founder @Peiso | President AWCC

7 年

superb

David Atkinson, BEng, PhD, FIET, FHEA, FRSA

Applying Negative Dialectics in AI for a Critically Better Future.

7 年

Ivan, since you asked so nicely! Enjoy.

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