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 * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
