James Drogan

This morning, Wired News: Top Stories brought The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete.

The argument seems to be that with enormous amounts of data and computational power one can discern patterns.  That patterns predict other patterns and that this is enough.  Causalities are no longer required.

I find this troubling on two counts.  The first, is that I am long steeped in the scientific method.  Determinism is important.  I try not to let this experience close my mind to new ideas.

The second is that in connection with building a new graduate class, System Design and Control, I have deeply immersed myself in business dynamics (Forrester, Sterman, Senge) which is very much about causality.

I'm troubled by the notion that the why behind the what (the pattern) may no longer matter.  If that is true, then how can I reproduce the pattern?  How can I be proactive?

Why?

Like so much of what proposes to pass as journalism, this article gives no information on the root causes of the problem. 

Perhaps this occurs because, as the article implies, there is little encouragement in primary and secondary education. 

I would offer two other hypotheses.

1. It's hard work and the American  culture increasingly argues against hard work.  This is something that Dave and I have discussed at some length (search on "Conversations with Dave" in this site for excerpts from these conversations.)
2. More money can be made elsewhere.  Finance, despite its recent travails,  is an example.

I'm convinced that economic growth and all it underpins depends upon innovation.  Innovation, in turn, depends on the disciplines that are part of the computer-related degree course of study.

I'll add that the request by business for more H1-B visas is not so that we can attract more construction workers to America, but so we can get the computer-related skills we need. 

In a 2003 presentation, How to Use Computers and Internet in Daily Transactions, I quoted Sherry Turkle of MIT;  "We know that technology changes our lives -- but could it be changing our selves as well?"  I blogged about Turkle's observation in Turkle + Technology = Something to Think About and Is Privacy Passé?

My morning browse through the blogs (see blogroll if you are interested in my grazing habits) brought me to Nick Carr's (yes, the " IT Doesn't Matter" Nick Carr) Atlantic Monthly article, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, by way of Jon Udell's blog post.

It seems to me that Carr is arguing in the Atlantic Monthly that IT does matter and matters in a very profound way. 

I urge a read of Carr's article and some thinking about what he has to say.  What does Carr's perspectives portend for the Homo sapiens species?  I particularly urge this on my students,  those who teach (especially my friends at the  The Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute at Baruch College), and anyone who as been following the portions of "Conversations with Dave" that have appeared in this blog.

Bob Sutton, another of my favorites, puts 15 things he believes on the left side of his blog.

This is another recommended read for my students (and others) as they find their way through life. 

I pass along this piece because I feel it represents the sort of thinking we need to do as we move into a world of education where technology will play an increasingly dominant role in quality learning.

The millennials with the new technology are, as discussed in the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute 7th Annual Symposium on Communication and Communication Intensive Instruction, driving new rules, and convention and change in communication.  We need to find a way to ride, if not manage, these forces of change.

Change is rampant.  It may wait for those of us from the preceding generations; it may tolerate our clinging to potentially outmoded ideas.  Or it may not. 

“Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot.” 

One of my graduate students in transportation management writes a very interesting response using The Six Troop Leading Steps (B-A-M-C-I-S) as a framework.

As most of you know, I think in terms of SIDAL.

I'm wondering whether there is value in merging the two management processes?  What are the similarities and differences between the two?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?  All else being equal, does the person with military experience make a better executive?

My classes include a statement of the contexnt in which the subject matter will be studied.  This context is usually shown by the following diagram.

The central part of this diagram is adapted from Porter, Michel E. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. The Free Press, 1985. 

The nature of the socio-political-economic forces driver can be described as country risk or, in the terms of The Economist, operational risk.

When considering whether or not to do business on a global scale one needs to take into consideration the risk associated with the  socio-political-economic environment.  While I expect students to give consideration to this matter in all my courses, it becomes particularly important to do so in the Capstone class.

Information abounds regarding risk of this nature (sometimes also called country risk).  A good place to start to investigate this is The Economist.  For example, I was prompted to make this post by the article, Operational risk ratings: Asian fusion, in the April 28th, 2008 issue.

This article is from the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics.  I especially want to bring this to the attention of those contemplating a career in supply chain and logistics.

"Ten years is a long time in the life of supply chain – whether in the past or the future. We asked two leading professionals, Jake Barr, Director, Manufacturing, Planning & Logistics, The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), and Kevin Smith, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain and Logistics, CVS/pharmacy, to take a retrospective look at the supply chain field and the big challenges that lie ahead. They also offer some pointers on what it takes to carve out a successful career in supply chain. Both P&G and CVS are MIT-CTL strategic partners."

I've added new lecture notes for System Design and Control and The Logistics Channel Within the Supply Chain.

The former course will be taught for the first time this fall; the latter was taught for the first time this past spring. 

Syllabi for courses I have taught will be found in What I am Teaching. 

Those of you with sharp eyes and/or good memory will note that I have previously taught logistics at the graduate level.  The Logistics Channel Within the Supply Chain is a rework of the previous course based on a new text (Christopher, Martin. Logistics and Supply Chain Management : Creating Value-Added Networks. 3rd ed. Harlow, England ; New York: FT Prentice Hall, 2005, 0-273-68176-1) and reflects a new emphasis we wished to give the subject.