Says Barbara Webb, professor of Biorobotics, who tries to simulate living organisms behaviours and extrapolate form here. It sounds like a lot of fun.
It made me think that the best model of us is us. And that in the organization we often try to look at theories and models to explain what we do, for example leadership. If ‘the best model of a leader is another leader, preferably the same leader’, then we need to get better at observing our realities, next door, next corridor, next cafeteria.
The best model of a leader may be that gentleman in the post room, not Steve Jobs
Or the guy at the small, family owned distributor, not Saint Jack Welch.
Or your colleague who pulled that off and brought the entire floor with him.
Or the community organiser who takes those kids to football matches.
Or somebody very close to you, physically, whom you see every day and has become part of your (filtered and ignored) reality.
The best models may be just next to you.
Rule of thumb: less look up, more look sideways, look around.
Would you like to comment?