Contrary to how it may seem with pages like New Ways of Thinking, I’m not really much interested in abstract philosophy of work. Our passion is its application to make work better.
Philosophy is an intellectual exercise that isn’t pretty to watch, especially in the context of work, which is about real world results, not who has the biggest swinging intellect.
I indulge Dave Snowden because somehow out of the blizzard of abstraction he produces, Cynefin manages to be useful. There’s a reason it is so well known. But I tune out of the stag roaring when the philosophers get together. I’ll give the thread a quick scan to harvest what we can use practically in improving people’s lives, then move on.
I’m sure the discussion is important in that the theoretical considerations do yield fruit from time to time. I try to stay involved in them but I do soon wear out. Since they’re all approximations of reality, any one will do. Some will do better, for sure, but a common understanding is very important in practical application, and right now the common understanding is with Cynefin.
Will we know a practical and useful “truth” when we see the results of experiment? Yes. What real truth is, is for the philosophers. Work, like politics, is the art of the possible.
Philosophy of work is important, like testing science on animals, but it’s not something I want to watch, for similar reasons. Mostly because it seems to be done by men, and they produce a lot of agression doing it, trying to establish dominance. Like stag roaring.