Ecotechnology Research
Mr Honda, through the Honda Foundation, donated a million pounds to the International Ecotechnology Research Centre, based in Cranfield UK, and founded in 1987. Its scientific director is Professor Peter Allen who used to work in Brussels with Nobel prize winner Ilya Prigogine (author of 'Order out of Chaos, Man's New Dialogue with Nature'). The aim of the Centre is to help humanise business through projects such as a study for the EC on the impact of technological aid in Senegal.
'It was the intuitive, random fishers ('the stochasts') who did not follow the pack ('the cartesians') who proved essential for discovering the next usable grounds'
'The main focus of fundamental research in the Centre,' says their literature, 'is to develop a better understanding of the principles and processes which underlie change in biological, ecological, social and economic systems - ie Ecotechnology.' They are interested in the dynamics of creativity and innovation. For instance, Peter Allen has co-authored a study entitled 'Dynamics of Discovery and Exploitation, the case of the Scotian Shell groundfish fisheries' (Peter Allen and McGlade, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 43) - which tells how the fishery grounds became overfished, and how it was the intuitive, random fishers ('the stochasts') who did not follow the pack ('the cartesians') who proved essential for discovering the next usable grounds. The conclusion drawn from work of this nature is that 'long term change is both driven by, and selects for, systems which can create and maintain an internal diversity and freedom which is incompatible with short term optimality.'
The study sums up as follows:
This concerns the question of 'discovery', of evolutionary survival and of information exchange. There is a fascinating parallel between the picture we have derived concerning fishing behaviour and that revealed by recent research into foraging behaviour in the animal kingdom, particularly in work on ant societies (Deneubourg et al 1983). The vital issue is that 'discovery' like 'invention' and 'creation' can be achieved through 'non-rational' behaviour, although subsequent exploitation may depend on 'rational' reactions. The multi-faceted process of 'discovery' and 'exploitation' concerns all of us at many levels. Either as individuals or in our various roles in families, firms, institutions, communities and even nations, we must try to decide how to divide our time and effort between the performance of tasks characteristic of our present role - with known values and pay-offs - or the continued search for, and openness to, the possibilities of new roles and new pay-offs in the future.
'Stochasts take intellectual, emotional and financial risks by adventuring into the unknown, be it with ideas, aesthetics, personal relationships or entrepreneurial activities. Their discoveries are what nourishes society in the long run'
As individuals we can either deliberately allow ourselves to explore new paths and connections, or instead, we can organise most of the components of our lives so that we minimise such diversions which, at any given moment, have no obvious purpose. There are again two extremes: 'stochasts' and 'cartesians'. The former take intellectual, emotional and financial risks by adventuring into the unknown, be it with ideas, aesthetics, personal relationships or entrepreneurial activities. Their discoveries are what nourishes society in the long run, and assures its survival by allowing it to evolve, and to find new sources of sustenance. The 'cartesians' devote themselves to fulfilling as efficiently and completely as possible, the role they feel has been assigned to them. Their behaviour constitutes the 'backbone' of society, and offers a very necessary definition of 'normality'. The successful, long term functioning and survival of an individual, a society, a firm or a nation requires both types of behaviour, just as our example dealing with 'fishing' showed.
The whole question of 'innovation' and of management can be examined in terms of these new ideas. Old views of policy and planning as 'rationalisation', and classification, streamlining and separation of different functions must be re-examined. We need to design systems which are capable of being creative, not imposing too much rationality or too much information on them. Neither should we restrict movements or thoughts to only the known or recognised channels characterised at present by an obvious usefulness. Discovery requires freedom, while the efficient functioning of society requires cooperation and organisation. Perhaps with models such as ours, we can begin to understand and explore a new 'rationality' which encompasses both harmoniously.
The Cranfield Institute of Technology, Cranfield, Bedford MK43 OAL (tel 0234 750111; fax 0234 750163).
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