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Goals
Survival. Individual functionality depends on survival. Since individuals consume exergy, they tend to increase entropy (decrease order). However, part of survival for humanity is to build ordered infrastructures — for example, to enhance sustainability and increase information, thereby decreasing entropy. Figure 5 indicates the quasi-equilibrium balance between order and dissipation that is inherent in human survival. The ordinate position as a function of the equilibrium point depends on the quality of life sought or derived. This obviously can be different for different individuals or societies, and can change with time. Since the equilibrium point on the transition slope is relatively adaptable and control over it is generally flexible, the balance is especially important for individuals and humanity. The process of dealing with competing contradictions, such as balancing order and disorder, is called
dialectic synthesis.
Figure 5 — Quasi-Equilibrium Exergy/Entropy System.
Surety. Functionality is enhanced through the surety conditions of sustained safety, security and reliability, so this is a significant goal. Surety involves the production of order through a predictable path into the future, in the face of continuous change and uncertainty.
Self-Actualization. Traditional self-actualization [Ref. 7] builds on survival and surety to achieve perceived competence for material, cognitive and subjective confidence. A necessary adjunct is self-exploration and action. This goal is met by the basic self-actualization output goal and by feedback to enhance personal traits through an action process.
Synergistic Collective Contributions. The goal of contributing to team effectiveness is enhanced by open information sharing, trust in team members and support of team objectives. Effective collectives usually include synergistic contributions by team members, enhanced by the variety of their relative views. This is an optimal means to deal with a fundamental individual constraint of being limited to a relative reference frame. Self-assessment is an important part of enhancing this output, as indicated by the feedback in Figure 4. Societal quality of life depends on maximizing exergy over the long term, since humans are exergy parasites.
Hazards
Natural Threats. Since individual efforts cannot be assured to be carried out in pristine conditions, natural threats, such as earthquakes, fires, floods and storms, must be acknowledged. In addition to the inherent hazards, the existence of such threats can distract from productive focus.
Human Threats. Human threats can include malicious attacks, mental or physical diversions and game-playing [Ref. 3]. All of these can detract from desired individual functionality.
Human Limitations. Humans are not ideal, so they have inherent limiting emotional tendencies, such as fear, jealousy and selfishness. In fact, humans are "hard-wired" to have fear. Fear is necessary for survival, but if not filtered and controlled into an optimal emotional state, it can become a destructive limitation. Humans are also limited by not being able to discern absolutes, but only relative relations to reference frames, and to stored or deduced patterns. Also, humans must function through the exergy-entropy dichotomy illustrated in Figure 5.
Individual Traits
Passion. Passion is an emotional commitment to individual functionality. It is required for individual excellence and for commitment to the collective effort. Passion is the antithesis of fear and can overcome the destructive tendencies that fear instigates. A related trait is selflessness. Paradoxically, selflessness can be one of the most effective contributors to obtaining selfish goals, when applied to synergistic collectives. Another related trait is trustworthiness. People who can be depended on to predictably do what they say they will do without any deceit inspire trust in others. This is especially important, since building trust is a relatively long-term activity, but can be quickly destroyed.
Knowledge. Continuous learning is essential for enhancing human functionality. This is especially evident in the scientific world because of rapid technological advances. It is also essential in the sociological world, where advances in individual and collective behavior strategies occur. Since knowledge is relative, human knowledge cannot be perfect. Decisions must therefore be made with incomplete information. However, knowledge and decision-making can be enhanced by using the relative views of collective members. Also, imperfect knowledge can be enhanced by heeding intuition (recognizing and responding to patterns stored in human memory). The optimum strategy appears to require both rational and intuitive thought processes, used in balance and iteratively.
Skills. Skills are generally distinguished from knowledge by requirements for actual performance and practice. For example, the theory of self-actualization skills is not sufficient for achieving effective self-actualization. Practice (continuing repetition) and learning from what doesn't work are required adjuncts.
Consideration of Non-Optimal Individuals
All individuals are non-optimal to varying degrees. It might appear to be obvious that an organization should seek the most nearly optimum individuals as possible. However, any collective effort is more effective if the capabilities of the individuals available are used optimally. One ramification of this is that teams usually need "role players" in addition to "stars." For example, Michael Jordan was the main star of the Chicago Bulls basketball team and Scottie Pippen was a supporting star. Their teammates were role players. This argues that management can have two focuses: select the best-fitting individuals for the particular functions required in the team effort, and influence the selected team members for maximum contribution to the collective.
Effective leaders of non-optimum individuals must be much more than managers. For example, these leaders should look for opportunities in the effects of non-optimal performance rather than enforce inflexible processes. These leaders should be persuasive, which helps redirect any tendencies toward poor performance. They should take the risk of relaxing control, which usually contributes to enhanced personnel initiative. They should be patient, consistent and persistent. In these ways, leaders can get improved results from non-optimal people (and then it is desirable to let them know they did it themselves). Building subjective competence is analogous to raising children.
The feedback paths indicated in Figure 4 provide avenues for improvements, using management influence and personal self-assessment. Management initiatives [Refs. 1, 2, 3 and 4] include, for example, establishing a common context (i.e., a family-like environment) with individuals by getting to know them and their thinking processes; by demonstrating the potential of collectives for overall functionality and individual benefit; by encouraging them to follow paths that they are passionate about (rather than fearful of); by encouraging intuitive development through recognition of patterns; by building trust through honest, clear and effective communication; and by assuring appropriate rewards systems. The inherent limitations of the human tendency to respond to stress by freezing, fighting or fleeing can be guided toward a logical approach [Ref. 3] where fear is faced as an acknowledged hazard that can be overcome through passion and where destructive game-playing is defused. This is an example of the need for left-brain (objective, logical) balance with right-brain (intuitive, subjective) training.
Self-assessment is necessary to determine what personal initiatives might be appropriate. This evaluation depends on emphasizing awareness so that performance attributes can be sensed on a continuing basis. So that problems can be headed off before they become debilitating (an irreversible latent effect path), awareness also reinforces successful traits. The benefits of self-assessment are often obvious to individuals, but can also be pointed out by management. Peer evaluations (continuous feedback from many sources, such as trusted people, hardware, animals, etc.) are another informative tool.
An important method of utilizing non-optimum individuals to their fullest potential is to seek and take advantage of a diversity of views. When differences arise, any potential for conflict can be redirected by asking something like, "What do you see that I don't?" This can open doors to learning opportunities. Also, "failure" due to non-optimal outcomes can be an important learning experience. Complete abhorrence of any failures can lead to fear of taking risks. Judicious risk-taking is an important contributor to most significant achievements. We learn by emulation, experience and synthesizing patterns from an intuitive reference. Risk-taking helps extrapolate our baseline to new levels.
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