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From: | Tony Bigbee |
Subject: | Re: Biological Analogies in Manufacturing |
Date: | Fri, 20 Feb 1998 19:10:44 -0500 |
David,
Can you elaborate on your intuition?
---> "As to if the process
of
manufacturing has direct analogies in the hive of a honey bee - I am quite sceptical." It seems as if there are many researchers trying
to capitalize on this concept, including businesses (reengineering). In
this regard, I have two questions:
What is the biological definition of adaptation,
and is this really what organizations need to be about - i.e. what are the
difference between dynamic response, learning, and adaptation in nature and in
the organizational world. Secondly, where does the analogy break
down? I'm thinking of the death rate of insects (don't know the specific
numbers in bees or ants) and what this may imply about resources. Any
ideas?
I also seem to remember Glen Ropella proposing some kind of
control theory to enable control of hierarchical complex systems. Glen,
care to restart this thread?
Tony Bigbee
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