Talk:Laws of worker entropy: Difference between revisions

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Created page with "====Meetings==== *Define meetings **'''Negotiate''': determine outcome by agreement, with no intermediary (multilateral consensus) **'''Mediate''': determine outcome by agreement through agent (centrally cleared consensus) **'''Arbitrate''': determine outcome by reasoned decision of central agent **'''Elect''': determine outcome by majority vote *You can't clap one handed *Meetings never start on time *The more people in the meeting the less efficient it will be *Th..."
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====Tedium====
====Tedium====
Tedium and confusion are related and may be the same thing viewed from different perspectives.  
Tedium and confusion are related. They may be the same thing viewed from different perspectives.  
*Tedium is a marker for waste or dysfunction:  
*Tedium is a marker for waste and dysfunction:  
**boring activities could generally be done mechanically
**Boring activities are generally repetitive, unsurprising, mechanical, conceptually simple and of peripheral importance. Generally, boring activities ''could'' be mechanised.
**Boring activities done manually will be done badly or even [[perversity|perversely]] (definition of [[perversity]]: to do something intended for one purpose in a way that has the effect of serving another purpose (principally one’s own)
**Boring activities that are not mechanised will be done badly or even [[perversity|perversely]].
**Given the upfront cost of mechanisation, necessary activities that are boring but not mechanised will either be not important, or not properly understood. The former do not matter latter; the latter have the potential to blow up the organisation.
**All other things being equal, tedious activities should be mechanised. But a surprising portion of them are not.
=====Reasons not to mechanise tedious operations=====
'''Upfront cost''': Given the upfront cost of mechanisation, necessary activities that are boring but not mechanised will either be not important or not properly understood. The former does not matter; the latter has the potential to blow up the organisation.


there is an inverse relationship between the amount of time, middle management spend on a task and its overall importance, i, to the organisation
there is an inverse relationship between the amount of time, middle management spend on a task and its overall importance, i, to the organisation
====Consensus====
====Consensus====
Consensus is uninteresting until it turns out to be wrong.
Consensus is uninteresting until it turns out to be wrong.
The truth debate: “show me relativist in a plane and I'll show you a hypocrite” is to confuse truth and consensus. Plainly a relativist who gets in a plane believes it will fly  
The truth debate: “show me a relativist in a plane and I'll show you a hypocrite” is to confuse truth and consensus. A relativist who gets in a plane believes it will fly  


====Middle management====
====Middle management====
Middle management understands nothing. The process of of ascending into middle management is to unlearn whatever it is you know.  
Middle management understands nothing. The process of ascending into middle management is to unlearn whatever it is you know.  
*Hence middle managers are susceptible to conjuring tricks, shiny things and new technology. Any sufficiently primitive middle manager will be unable to distinguish a basic chatbot from magic.
*Hence middle managers are susceptible to conjuring tricks, shiny things and new technology. Any sufficiently primitive middle manager will be unable to distinguish a basic chatbot from magic.


====Change, progress====
====Change, progress====
Successful inventions do not make life harder.

Latest revision as of 13:29, 29 May 2024

Meetings

  • Define meetings
    • Negotiate: determine outcome by agreement, with no intermediary (multilateral consensus)
    • Mediate: determine outcome by agreement through agent (centrally cleared consensus)
    • Arbitrate: determine outcome by reasoned decision of central agent
    • Elect: determine outcome by majority vote
  • You can't clap one handed
  • Meetings never start on time
  • The more people in the meeting the less efficient it will be
  • The more people in a meeting the less effective it will be
  • The more people in a meeting the less likely it is anyone willing say what they think

Systemic confusion

  • Confusion increases geometrically with size. There is an event horizon where confusion overwhelms an organisation’s commercial purpose.
  • Escalations (being formal communications along the ley lines of the organisation) create more aggregate delay, confusion, aggravation and second-order bureaucracy than they resolve.

Tedium

Tedium and confusion are related. They may be the same thing viewed from different perspectives.

  • Tedium is a marker for waste and dysfunction:
    • Boring activities are generally repetitive, unsurprising, mechanical, conceptually simple and of peripheral importance. Generally, boring activities could be mechanised.
    • Boring activities that are not mechanised will be done badly or even perversely.
    • All other things being equal, tedious activities should be mechanised. But a surprising portion of them are not.
Reasons not to mechanise tedious operations

Upfront cost: Given the upfront cost of mechanisation, necessary activities that are boring but not mechanised will either be not important or not properly understood. The former does not matter; the latter has the potential to blow up the organisation.

there is an inverse relationship between the amount of time, middle management spend on a task and its overall importance, i, to the organisation

Consensus

Consensus is uninteresting until it turns out to be wrong. The truth debate: “show me a relativist in a plane and I'll show you a hypocrite” is to confuse truth and consensus. A relativist who gets in a plane believes it will fly

Middle management

Middle management understands nothing. The process of ascending into middle management is to unlearn whatever it is you know.

  • Hence middle managers are susceptible to conjuring tricks, shiny things and new technology. Any sufficiently primitive middle manager will be unable to distinguish a basic chatbot from magic.

Change, progress

Successful inventions do not make life harder.