Architecture and Engineering
It seems that I am having to take side journeys whilst trying to get back to the issue of complexity. It seems necessary, however, for me to assert a position regarding the linkage between architecture and engineering in the context of the enterprise.
Within the Enterprise Architecture community and the wider information systems architectural community, there seems to be a developing trend to move away from the term Enterprise Architecture and towards Enterprise Engineering. I have considerd this move and actually started moving towards it in the language of my client work. However, a recent experience has reasserted for me the view that architecture is the language we seek at the interface between the business, its aspirations, and the information systems which support the achievement of those aspirations.
Recently I attended a traditional latin mass at a Cathedral in Melbourne with all its attendant mystery and ritual. I realised as I sat there transfixed by the experience, that here was a process being applied to the use of a technology (and great Cathedrals are certainly technological achievements) that was a perfect expression of the aspirations of a community.
In like manner, the discipline of Enterprise Architecture was intended to express the vision of the enterprise in a means that would allow it to be translated into the relevant technologies to deliver that vision or aspiration.
One of the conclusions I have drawn is that the push to move to the use of the term enterprise engineering instead of enterprise architecture is flawed. The discipline of EA was intended to be the means for expressing the vision of the enterprise. As you will see my thinking has evolved to encapsulate techno-social systems. Such systems have a deep impact on the evolution of human communities. And once you put the pieces together it becomes obvious that what we are actually talking about is the evolution of the human enterprise. Ever since those earliest ancestors of homo sapien sapien picked up rock and bone and turned them into tools, the ascent of man has been the story of human evolution through the application of process to the use of tools to either shape or respond to the environment. The very use of those tools has even shaped the evolution of our own bodies - the opposable thumb being a great example.
The discipline of architecture in the built environment is one of expressing the aspirations of a community, group or family in the shape of a built environment. Engineering is about taking the architectural vision and translating it into pipes and bricks and cement and all of the other materials that make up a built environment. Therefore, to try and reframe EA as an engineering discipline is to remove the business vision from the organisation. We are then back to the IT centric view which expresses the solution in terms of databases and transactions and communication systems. Engineering at the solution layer is right. The concept of a solution architect has never been about anything more than working out how to put the pieces together.
It is fundamentally wrong to try and reframe EA though. If we remove the architecture from the concept then where does the enterprise go to, to express the linkage between the enterprise goals and aspirations and the processes and technologies used to deliver that vision. To further try and reframe it because the IT industry has done a poor job of providing EA services is, again, a flawed approach.
EA expresses the concept of Aristotle's "holon" in it's holistic intent. With Husserl I believe that the disciplines of information systems are the source for the philosophy of our time. For that philosophy to be relevant it must, as expressed by Hegel, represent "it's very age comprehended in thought". EA is the right frame of reference for expressing the aspirations of the organisation. Enterprise engineering does not in my humble opinion.
A Systems Philosophy for Human Sustainability
"A human being is part of the whole called by us universe , a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty... We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive."
Albert Einstein
For several decades the concept of sustainability has been held captive by a limited understanding of the meaning of the term. All too often the focus of human sustainability is in terms of ecological sustainability or, more recently, eco-footprinting - both of which are admirable and extremely important principles. However, human sustainability also needs to be understood in terms of the human capability to exist / operate in an environment for long periods of time.
In the workplace, for example, we create environments based on artificial lighting, rigid desk layouts and high levels of technology, all of which create in most people a desire to get to the end of the day and get back outside - back to where they feel comfortable. An alternative approach is to view the workplace as an extension of the way of life that an individual has chosen.
One special application of these principles is the work environment in which human crises / natural disasters are managed. In these environments, individuals will frequently operate for extended periods of time, operating under high workload, with high consequence decisions a key part of their task. Examples of these environments include Emergency Services operations rooms, Casualty wards/ Emergency Rooms and stock trading floors. In these environments it is critical that the design accounts for the human propensity to work long hours during crisis and design appropriately. The application of a relatively new discipline which has emerged from the Information Technology arena gives us a fresh way to look at these environments and better understand how to design for human sustainable performance.
The Paradoxes of Modern Existence
As we once again honour the holiday season in the West one cannot help but ponder the paradoxes of modern existence. For many (if not most) in the West, there is a total denial of the Christian belief system as a way of life. We may claim a return, rather, to the worship of the promise of sun return and perhaps there is some sense in this. Of all the forces that shape human existence, none is more vital to us than the warmth and energy which comes to us from this inconsequential star. However, for we in the South there is no need to worship Sun return. The Sun is high in the sky, the air is warm and we worship instead at the altar of sport, beachside activities and the laden table.
But in the midst of all this, there is one form of worship which for many has become all consuming. Once again, here in Australia, the shops have opened and Australians have yielded to the temptation to spend way beyond their means. Indications are that as a nation we have spent somewhere around $5 billion dollars in a single day. Yet we can ill afford such expenditure. Not only is this profligate purchasing of things, many of which are probably unnecessary, and a consequent expansion for many of their total debt situation. It also represents the generation of vast volumes of additional waste in the form of packaging, not to mention the waste associated with the production of goods of questionable value. For many, one cannot help but wonder how long the joy of the new possession will last once the packaging has been removed and yet another item is added to the cupboard to be subsequently forgotten. And how much will end up in of the self storage parks that dot every large community.
Human Philosophy and Architectural Design
I was recently asked by an Architect what I thought I was doing as an IT geek looking at issues of building design. I tried to relate my thinking around the relationship between human behaviour, human performance, human values and the design of work and living spaces. He indicated that he felt that these things were not relevant to the design of modern office buildings. This discussion led me to ponder my own views on this question.
Several years ago I was lucky enough to go the Balkans and Wien (Vienna, Austria) for work. As I always do, I spent a great deal of time understanding the societies in which I was working. One of the questions that was high in my mind at that time was the relationship between the Medieval Christian church and the people. I was lucky enough to have several experiences that helped me understand this.
On Being Human
So much of what we do in EcoThought revolves around understanding how to design environments to create sustainable human living environments, that I could not help but take some time out to consider what it actually means to be human.
Setting aside belief systems as a basis for defining what it means to be human, one rapidly comes to the bedrock that Descartes encountered when he coined the well known phrase "cogito ergo sum" - (I am thinking, therefore I exist). From this bedrock Descartes rebuilt his philosophy on the basis of his belief in a "perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing God". In a global society, however, where for many a belief in such a God is not a part of their existence, how do we move from this bedrock to understand what it means to be human.
Posts by date
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « May | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | ||||
Categories
- Complex Systems (1)
- Complexity (2)
- Corporate Behaviour (1)
- Enterprise Architecture (3)
- Government (1)
- Human Behaviour (4)
- Human Enterprise (2)
- Human Sustainability (5)
- Human Transformation (2)
- Short Term Thinking (2)
- Uncategorized (3)
- Vision (3)
Beige Thinking Built Architecture Case study Complexity Complex Systems consumer worship Enterprise Architecure Human Aspiration Human Enterprise human performance Human Transformation Innovation Jungian Thinking National Infrastructure Nietzsche On Being Human Online Business Online etiquette Philosophy political dogma role of Government Sustainability systems thinking The Blogsphere The Human Condition Trust
WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.
Licensing Panel
If you want to see my LinkedIn profile, click on this button:
