Study of Patterns - 2

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Study of Patterns is central to whatever we think and do.

The interdependent state of Nature is reflected through the various patterns she continually creates them as per context.

Leonardo da Vinci was a keen student of Nature. Instead of trying to dominate nature, as we have been trying for ages, Leonardo's intent was to learn from her as much as possible. He was struck by the beauty he saw in the complexity of natural forms, patterns, and processes. He was intently aware that nature's ingenuity was far superior to human design.

And this is what he had to declare about her:

"Though human ingenuity in various inventions uses different instruments for the same end, it will never discover an invention more beautiful, easier, or more economical than nature's, because in her inventions nothing is wanting and nothing is superfluous."

This inspires me to observe systems at work, think deeply and design and execute effectively.

However, the idea of understanding and learning starts with discovering the underlying principles at work. In order to do that we must find the invisible relationships that exist between different elements. Seeing through relationships creates the necessary 'wholistic' understanding for us to become wiser and probably enlightened thinkers, designers, executives, salesmen, leaders and workers. .

How do we do that? What is beautiful in her expressions are her myriad patterns. It is through the study of patterns that we come to discover the innumerable relationships that exist between different elements. This is perhaps the first and the most crucial step towards understanding and learning anything.

Fortunately, Nature expresses herself in three simple forms. She dances (oscillates). She shares energy (dissipation). She dies (wear and tear process).

She expresses herself when any system is either in dynamic equilibrium or when a system is taken away from equilibrium -- the only two possible living states for any system.

The slides above represent one of the many patterns that we get to observe. It does not matter whether we observe such patterns in engineering or elsewhere. It is still Nature at her best exhibiting her wildest, creative expressions.

The fan handles hot air, say around 200 to 250 degree Celsius. However, owing to frequent maintenance actions on the fan  the lagging (insulation cover) on the fan ducts was removed.

Heat pictures (Infra-red Thermal Images) were taken on various parts of the duct. The different colors tell us about the temperature of the gas at various locations in the duct.

As we can see the heat pictures create lovely colorful patterns all around the duct. We can also see that the gas is swirling. Technically, we can call this a turbulence. We also observe that at the bolted jointed zone the temperature of the gas is the least (represented by the bluish color).

OK. We get the idea.

Now the questions that arise are the following:

a) Why is the air exhibiting 'turbulence'?

b) What is the relationship between the lagging and the turbulence?

c) Why is the air cooler at the jointed portion of the duct?

d) What would be the effect of the turbulence on the fan system? Would there be any other effects?

e) What is the learning we glean from this? How can the purpose of any system be understood?

f) How could we transform the turbulence into more streamlined flow? What is the principle that we might follow?

g) Where else we might apply this principle to improve our lives?

Hope you enjoy the questions.

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Mehendi Designer at Work

In India, women like to cover their hands and arms with beautiful floral designs made from natural plant dye called 'mehendi'. It is applied in a thick paste form and the design develops line by line. There is no room for any mistake since a mistake can't be wiped off immediately. As the pattern dries up the excess material is washed off and the bright crimson brown imprint remains on the skin for days. When it fades a fresh design is put on. It is said that this dye has a healing effect but I am not quite sure of that.

It is both an interesting and engaging affair between the designer and client. The design develops through dialogues and interactions between the two, which is then owned by the user and proudly displayed in public. Women eye each other to check out as to whose hands and arms look more beautiful. It is also interesting to note that this design work takes place on the footpaths of city streets, usually at prominent corners. I can understand that. It easily attracts other clients -- a very skillful 'word or mouth' advertisement on the go stroking the secret desire of women to look as beautiful as the other if not better. 

Strangely this design profession is taken up by men. I don't know why. Surely, they find their work interesting since their clientele is all women, usually young. But that is not the point I am trying to make here.

My questions are:

1. Why do the designers and their clientele stick to the floral patterns only? This has been around for at least 1000 years, if not more. Though there is a lot of variation on the floral design why did Indian women not move away from it to adopt other genre of design, say for example, animal motifs? Is it convention or tradition? Or is it something else? Or is it because women can easily relate to plants as nurturers and providers.

2. How do mehendi designers enhance user experience? Would different occasions call for different types of design? For example, a design for attending a marriage ceremony might be completely different to say 'go shop'.

3. Can the designers characterize and bring out the perceived personality of their users through their designs even if they are only using floral designs? How can they drive up more value for their clients and for themselves? Can they transform a human psyche over a period of time through thematic appreciation of their pieces of art? Can they heal the mind? How do they study their users and share their knowledge with other designers in the trade?

Fair to say that I keep learning a lot about design and design thinking by observing such designers at work. The sheer simplicity of their offering is amazing. That might be the secret of their popularity and general acceptance of their design work by young women in general who are quite fussy about their likes and dislikes . They might not want to have it any other way.

Simplicity, beauty, boldness and elegance rule here!

Isn't that true for any design?

Or would complex designs hold more appeal or value?

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Observing from Antumbra space

What is the first step of learning?

Observation.

What is the first step of solving any problem?

Observation.

What is the first step of discovering anything?

Observation.

What is the first step of invention and innovation?

Observation.

What is the first step of designing?

Observation.

What is the first step of training our minds?

Observation.

This tells us why we need to observe. We need it for anything we do in life, if we want to do it well enough.

There seems to be no doubt about the fact that 'Observation' is a basic skill we need to use skillfully in anything we do. It helps us to learn, create, sustain survive, become wiser and enlightened.

But there are two more questions that need to be answered:

1) What do we observe?

2) How do we observe?

The answer to 'What to observe?' is not very intuitive. It is easy and difficult at the same time.

Why?

Nothing exists independently. All phenomena that goes on around us are interdependent on so many other things. 

Such interdependence creates patterns and relationships between different objects that determine the emergent behavior of any system.

What makes things more difficult is the element of uncertainty. We are simply not sure whether a particular relationship would emerge at a particular time under a particular condition. It then becomes a matter of probability. Under certain conditions and time it is highly possible that a pattern might exist or emerge. Hence it is also possible that it does not emerge at all. And it is also possible that the phenomenon might emerge simultaneously at different places (like vibration or wave or light or wear or heat or behavior patterns). This is a simplified understanding of System Emergence, which is a property of any system.

So, what we actually observe is the possibility or probability of various possible but inherent relationships between different elements emerging at different times under a various conditions. Such relationships are seen in form of patterns. Hence observation is the basic skill for pattern recognition.    

We can then express the nature of such relationships in form of equations, laws and principles like scientists, engineers and doctors do. Or express them in poems, stories, art like poets, writers and artists do.

What makes observations very difficult is that such relationships are always invisible. We have to apply our senses (or extend them through instrumentation) and our mind to see such invisible probabilistic relationships.

The other difficult question is 'how to observe?'

It is now somewhat obvious that we must observe in such a manner that we might see the possible relationships in form of emerging patterns clearly. It is also apparent that there must be at least two elements in the system between which a number of possible relationships can develop. So, to observe the relationship, which is our objective, we must not only see the elements simultaneously but also make the invisible relationship between them very evident and obvious.

To explain the technique the metaphor of an eclipse proves to be very useful. (refer: image)

In the umbra region we are too close to one of the elements. It is pitch dark and we can't see anything at all not -- denied of the faintest view. Obviously, this is a mistake to observe anything from this region. Surprisingly, we do commit this mistake too often in real life. We simply creep up too close to the object of our interest or we observe a failure too closely and fail to get any idea of what to do next. We simply don't see anything.

When we move to the penumbra region observation improves slightly but is still not very effective. Though we get to see parts of both elements we clearly don't see the relationship that emerges from the interaction of the two elements. So, we see the elements but not the relationship, which incidentally is the objective of our observation.

Things become quite different when we start observing from the antumbra region. It is here that we not only get to see both the elements of interest but also the relationship that exists at that point of time under certain specific conditions. We understand the phenomenon of an eclipse. We also understand that an eclipse is one of the possible relationships, appearing in various states that exists between the sun, moon and the earth. The pattern varies over time. And it is not happening every day of the year.

So the important conclusions that we may draw from our discussion on observation are the following:

1. Why we observe? -- To learn, understand, gain insights, become wiser, be illuminated and enlightened.

2. What do we observe?  -- We observe probabilistic relationships between different elements that appear in form of varying patterns at different points of time under different conditions.

3. How do we observe? -- We observe in such a way that the elements of a system and their possible relationship at a particular point of time and condition becomes evident. The

Antumbra space provides us the best possible view. 

This discussion also brings up the next important question: What to do after an observation is made?

Ref 1: http://rapidinnovation.org/general-theory-of-emergence-essence-imperfect

Ref 2: http://rapidinnovation.org/creating-operating-maintaining-systems-nature

Ref 3:Image of the eclipse taken from Wikepedia (eclipse)

Acknowledgment:

The use of Antumbra as a metaphor was suggested by Mr. Vlad Kunko during one of our playful discussions in the Design Thinking forum on Linkedin. Grateful.

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Russ Ackoff on" Beyond Continuous Improvement"

General Theory of Emergence, Essence, Imperfection & Solution

Objectives:

1. Solve very tricky, complex, complicated, nagging & wicked problems

2. Modify existing systems for improvement

3. Design new systems to effectively meet new needs

Three basic concepts can help us understand emerging patterns (emergence), the relationships that causes such patterns (essence), the incompleteness or imperfections that might act as lever points that can change the system behavior (solution). These are the following:

 

1. All emerging patterns or emergence are due to interdependent relationships of various elements of a system interacting with each other and other systems. It is useful to remember that relationships do change over time and under different conditions creating various patterns and emergence.

 

2. Emerging patterns that arise is a system’s creative response to gain the previous or new equilibrium point(s) on being pushed away from its present and stable equilibrium point. The way a system responds is the essence.

 

3. Incompleteness in a relationship or multiple relationships (called imperfection) is the cause of all problems or undesirable behavior. Correcting the imperfection either improves the existing system or creates a new system for a new need.  

 

We would tackle these issues with the following concepts:

 

1. All that we observe, feel, think, create and do are reflections of our mind. So mind is the fundamental tool we would use.

 

2. We would Observe & Understand patterns as linear or non-linear and to decide the manner in which we would approach a problem or an issue. So pattern recognition through observation is a fundamental skill that we would use.

 

3. Gain insights into the essence & imperfection that cause specific emergence to take place and then think of ways and means to eliminate the imperfection or reduce the effect of the imperfection if it can’t be eliminated totally. Hence, perception, comprehension, reflection, intuition, synthesis, analysis, imagination, creation/expression, planning, decision making, doing & memory/standardization would be the internal human qualities we would use as resources.

 

So, in effect, we would be using all our human senses and all the capabilities our mind to solve problems or to create new solutions in a systemic manner without creating unintended consequences.

 

Note:

 

Even the relationship between 2 elements can create many 'emergence' that can range from being simple, complicated or complex.

 

TEST:

 

Some sand is lying on the road around which there are some residential buildings. Is it a part of the system? YES/NO, Why?

An electronic door bell either rings or does not ring. Why?

'Why' becomes the guiding question to understand patterns/emergence/essence/imperfection/solution

 

Ref 1:http://rapidinnovation.org/creating-operating-maintaining-systems-nature

Ref 2: http://sysvibes.posterous.com/study-of-patterns-solutions-1

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Surely You aren't Joking, Mr. Feynman!

Richard Feynman was a very serious and critical thinker. He deeply reflected on all that he observed. I love his 'reflective' stories whenever I get to read about them or hear or see them on videos. Here is one of my favorite stories:

Once he was reviewing a book on school mathematics. And this is the story he had to say:

Quote:

Finally I come to a book that says, “Mathematics is used in science in many ways. We will give you an example from astronomy, which is the science of stars.” I turn the page, and it says, “Red stars have a temperature of four thousand degrees, yellow stars have a temperature of five thousand degrees . . .” — so far, so good. It continues: “Green stars have a temperature of seven thousand degrees, blue stars have a temperature of ten thousand degrees, and violet stars have a temperature of . . . (some big number).” There are no green or violet stars, but the figures for the others are roughly correct. It’s vaguely right — but already, trouble! That’s the way everything was: Everything was written by somebody who didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, so it was a little bit wrong, always! And how we are going to teach well by using books written by people who don’t quite understand what they’re talking about, I cannot understand. I don’t know why, but the books are lousy; UNIVERSALLY LOUSY! 

I’m a bit unhappy when I read about the stars’ temperatures, but I’m not very unhappy because it’s more or less right — it’s just an example of error. Then comes the list of problems. It says, “John and his father go out to look at the stars. John sees two blue stars and a red star. His father sees a green star, a violet star, and two yellow stars. What is the total temperature of the stars seen by John and his father?” — and I would explode in horror.

There’s no purpose whatsoever in adding the temperature of two stars. Nobody ever does that except, maybe, to then take the average temperature of the stars, but not to find out the total temperature of all the stars! It was awful! All it was was a game to get you to add, and they didn’t understand what they were talking about. It was like reading sentences with a few typographical errors, and then suddenly a whole sentence is written backwards. The mathematics was like that. Just hopeless!

Unquote

The unfortunate thing is that we keep repeating such errors with all seriousness time and again.

For example, we know the population of the earth to be around 6 billion. At present, this population is divided into two groups -- the developed nations and the developing nations. Basically, the distinction lies in the amount of energy people consume in the two camps. People in developed nations consume much more energy than people of developed nations. Sometimes the order of magnitude can be 1000 times.

But that is not the problem. The problem is when we start thinking about issues like global warming and sustainability. In such times, we start adding up just like adding up the temperatures of the stars and then project and predict figures of global warming assuming that all of 6 billion people would want to be at par with the best standard of living by consuming equivalent amount of energy as presently done by the people of the developed nations.

Now that is 'UNIVERSALLY LOUSY' thinking as the possibility of all 6 billion people enjoying the same standard of living is ridiculously low or virtually zero. The rich and the poor divide is going to stay so long some of us want to improve upon or maintain the standard of living enjoyed by the developed nations.

We continue to do such horrible mistakes in the business world too. We add numbers and come up with meaningless understanding.

How good is the manpower?

Well, we are 1000 strong.

How good or stable is the company?

We have a turnover of over $10 billion and growing at the rate of 5% every year.

How talented are we?

We are extremely talented. We have 100 professionally trained managers and 300 professional engineers.

There is turbulence inside this turbine gear box.

How can that be? The temperature of the gear box is only 65 degrees C.

This is simply hopeless type of thinking.

Surely, Feynman wasn't joking.

Next time we are tempted to 'add' or manipulate numbers just be careful about whether it means anything.

In most cases it would prove to be meaningless. 

Source of the Story on Richard Feynman: http://www.textbookleague.org

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THE CHIVALROUS – The Wrong Side of Life

Scene I

 

The year was 2003. Typewriters are not to be seen anywhere. They became extinct like our wildlife. But there was one. In one of the “elite” department of Government of India office. Secret messages are typed so that no one can trace back a message. After office hours the ribbon of the type writer is ripped off and kept in the “safe”.  Oh, what a security!

 

Why this ritual? Yes it’s written in the ‘black book’. In the name of safety & security anything, yes anything, can be done and continue to be done without assessing the present reality. It creates problems for everyone. But never mind; we would continue to run systems and organizations by the rule book. We refuse to think any further. Period.

 

Scene II

 

Production is not keeping up with orders. Late delivery is creating angry customers. Quality is suffering. The owner thinks that people are plain lazy and need to work harder in a more systematic way, which means work like robots and stick to instructions. In an effort to set things right a detailed manual is created. More forms are filled up. More supervision is put in place. Supervisors are trained to be unrelenting with any type of slackness. Detailed reporting and meetings become frequent. People start blaming each other. Shop floor becomes a venue for shouting matches. Some more machines are added. TQM and TPM are put in place. But things do not improve. Situation deteriorates further. The owner frets: “People must work like machines then only productivity would increase.”

 

We refuse to think in any differently. We refuse to think in terms of design and systems. We think that systems must behave the way we think it should. We don’t let go of that old comfortable feeling. The industrial mindset continues.   

 

Scene III

 

One security joker had ordered that no coins will be allowed inside the J.N. Stadium, New Delhi on the eve of the recently concluded Common Wealth Games. People wondered what connection has coins got with security. Perhaps “security experts” thought some terrorist can plant a bomb using coins as splinters. Or they thought these can be used as deadly missiles against the VIPs. The Delhi police strictly followed the instruction and asked people to deposit the coins in the box before they entered the stadium.  Guess how much was collected? One Lakh rupees in the very first day. This amount would go to the government coffers as none were given a “deposit slip”. Surely the Security Expert who gave out this instruction must have received an honorarium or at least a cash reward for “services rendered outside his/her normal sphere of work”. After all he has done a service which has made not only his department but the Finance Ministry proud.

 

More the rules merrier it is. We have stopped thinking in terms of principles. Slow up the darn processes and everything would be under control. Command and control everything especially in the name of protecting bosses and public figures. Turn your face towards the boss and your ass towards the customers. It is an appealing idea to control people through grand ‘screw ups’. Let them taste fear. Customers? Who are they?  

 

Scene IV

 

Year – 2009: A Professor from IIM lectures on the importance of innovation, design and creating patents to ensure business sustainability of an organization. Senior Managers are excited about the whole concept. They boost up their designers with ‘pep talks’ and asks them to contribute to the innovation drive. They ask them to create new products. Would they be given separate time to do that? Not at all! They are to contribute to the ‘innovation drive’ over and above their normal routine jobs of designing products against specific customer orders.

 

Nothing much happens in six months. Management reviews the situation through ‘critical audit’ and discovers that they have really landed up with lousy fools and shirkers. They decide to call off the ‘innovation drive’. So much for innovative thinking! We still refuse to think well. We refuse to design think. We refuse to see systems as a whole. We refuse to hold onto any vision.  

 

Scene V

 

The year was 1997. It was 08.30 in the evening. The Jodhpur bound “Mandore Express” was about to leave from Platform No 14 at Delhi Railway Station. I picked up my rucksack and told my colleague to hurry up so that we don’t miss the train. We were stopped at the main entrance. Police personnel were checking the bags and frisking the passengers. We obeyed their orders. I opened my belongings. Things were checked thoroughly but no one wanted to see our ticket. We rushed towards the coach. After locating our seats we settled down. My friend was very meticulous. He chained his bags under the seat. We looked over and found a group of young businessmen enjoying a drink “secretly”. At the other side of the berth a young woman with her teenage daughter were eyeing those young people suspiciously. Perhaps their presence was not comfortable to the young ladies.

 

We opened our packed dinner. Old newspapers were spread out on the seat. The “roties” and “sabji” were out. Out of nowhere two well built persons, hair cropped, with an unsophisticated look came and sat besides us. We felt irritated but carried on with our present job. “Where are you going? “ The usual uncomfortable question which one has to face if you travel in India. I choose to ignore the question. “We are from the police, now tell us where you are from and where are you heading to and what work you have there”. All questions asked in a single flow. I thought its better to deal with these morons in a cool and calculated manner instead of loosing one’s temper. I answered all of their queries justifying each and every reply. I thought --- Do I look like a dreaded criminal or is it a case of mistaken identity. One of the morons asked me, “Do you possess any identity card?” To test him I showed him the newly issued PAN (Permanent Account Number) issued by the Income Tax Authorities. He took the card gave a hard look. His face said it all.  Sir, you are from the Income Tax department? Sorry to bother you sir, please have a safe journey. They quickly left the place. My friend and I had a hearty laugh.

 

Education and building great environments backed up by equally great institutions are critical to success. We find it convenient to forget about such basic principles. People are simply supposed to follow rule books if they want to stick to a job. Isn’t it? So merrily make more stupid rules to run organizations. Forget basic principles.

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