Ants in OS

[Peggy Holman]

Even ants operate in OS!


Swarm Intelligence:  A Whole New Way to Think About Business
Harvard Business Review, May 2001, p. 107. Reprint R0105G

This article discusses how companies are using the strategies of ants to
improve their operations. Yes, ants; little black insects. It turns out that
their ability to self-organize by using simple rules to meet the needs of
their group are a good model for everything from how airlines route
packages, manufacturers schedule equipment, programmers work together on
project teams, and businesses innovate. One example I was interested in was
a web service that allows an organization to self-organize. People
(including senior management) post ideas. The ideas that get the most
attention--by people advancing the idea--attracts yet more attention, in the
same way that ants who have found a delightful food source lay a stronger
trail to it. Another interesting finding is that the ant strategies differ:
some do mass recruitment, others have a one-on-one strategy and others
recruit groups. These strategies are correlated to colony size and have
different advantages. The last one appears to be the most flexible and
matched the approach at such companies as Enron and Capital One.

______________________________
Peggy Holman
The Open Circle Company
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
425.865.8168 (fax)
425.746.6274

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>From  Thu May  3 14:29:22 2001
Message-Id: <THU.3.MAY.2001.142922.0500.>
Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 14:29:22 -0500
Reply-To: mherman at globalchicago.net
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Michael Herman <mherman at globalchicago.net>
Organization: Michael Herman Associates
Subject: business mergers in OS?
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hello all,

wondering if there are any stories of businesses using open space in
cases of business integration following mergers and acquisitions.

i don't need long stories, just facts will do.  if you send any stories
or blurbs to me directly at mailto:mherman at globalchicago.net i will post
the lot of them on the list here and also in the stories section at
osw.org.

i will have another conversation with folks in the midst of such an
integration process tomorrow (friday) but will be glad for whatever you
can send, as soon as you can send it.

many thanks, m

--

Michael Herman
300 West North Avenue #1105
Chicago IL 60610
312-280-7838 voice
312-280-7837 fax

http://www.michaelherman.com
-michael herman associates
-evolution at work (entire book)
-invitation resources  (more tools)
-websites worth visiting
-michael's open notebook

mailto:mherman at globalchicago.net

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