REPLY Why don't organizations function better? (SD6595)

[SDMAIL Jim Thompson]

Posted by  "Jim Thompson" <james.thompson at strath.ac.uk>

Jim Hines wrote:

>> In biological systems the probability of a change (mutation) is about one
>> in a hundred million.  In organizations, however, it's the rare person who
>> doesn't want to try something new. 

In my high school years I lived near a pond that would cover with blue-green
algae every summer.  It seemed to me that the algae would shift around on
the surface, depending on the breeze or temperature.  

Later I went to work for a big company, and every year people would shift
around on the surface, depending on the budget or corporate earnings.

I read somewhere that this sort of algae (cyanobacteria) hadn't changed in a
billion years and may be the most highly evolved organism we can observe.  

I'm curious.  What is the unit of measure in the observation "one in a
hundred million"? 

Posted by  "Jim Thompson" <james.thompson at strath.ac.uk>
posting date  Sat, 8 Sep 2007 09:17:54 -0400