org - organism or organisation (shorthand notation)

p.163 Lessons from the evolution of the senses of natural organisms offer insights into the limits and potential for peripheral vision in organisations.

p.164 of what use is this highly evolved capability when the environment changes? ...a strategic surprise for a moth reflects a mismatch between the evolved sensors and the actual threats of its current environment. The same mechanism accounts for much vulnerability in organisations.

p.164 In addition to evolution to avoid strategic threats, organisms and organisations also develop their senses in specialised ways to recognise strategic opportunities... The sensing systems we find in nature are often highly specialised... When an organism has a different sensor array, it is living in a different world of experience... Evolution is a notably efficient designer of sensors, but is also notably focused on the problems of the past... Nature is preparing to fight the last war.

p.165 Since evolution develops these specialised sensors, how do we explain the existence of peripheral vision in humans at all? ...Instead of just responding to existing threats and opportunities seen by narrow-band vision, peripheral vision may help identify new threats and opportunities.

p.165 Organisms need to develop and maintain their sensory organs whether anything important is happening or not.

p.165 As organisations become more successful, they tend to reinforce the sensing systems and other capabilities that have made them successful. These are strengthened and other capabilities may drop away. [JLJ - curiously, humans have as sensors peripheral vision - it must therefore be vital to survival]

p.166 It seems at first glance that general purpose sensors might offer a better alternative with fewer blind spots than specialised sensors. General purpose sensors, however, have their own weaknesses. The very fact of being 'general purpose' implies that the connections to effectors are problematic: there is no programmed response for threats and opportunities in general. The information these sensors bring in may need extensive processing (cognition) to make sense of it.

p.167 The org may use general purpose sensors to activate a general purpose effector system such as 'run' or 'sell'. These responses call for exit from challenging situations, not for subtle initiatives based on probing analysis. Such simple actions can be a cheap substitute for multiple special purpose sensors and associated effectors.

p.167 On the one hand, it seems that most business organisations don't really have general purpose sensors that might reasonably be compared to human vision... On the other hand, organisations can access the peripheral vision of the organisms within them.

p.168 success in sustaining alertness can lead to the paralysis of false positives

p.168 The opportunity that gets attention is the one that drops suddenly out of the tree in front of us, so that there is a good chance that we can get to it first.

p.169 can we at least avoid being the moth in the living room? [JLJ - that is unsuspectingly swatted by a newspaper that does not register on its sensors]