About Doug McDavid

Doug McDavid is an Enterprise Architect, retired from IBM in 2009. He now maintains a web presence at enterprisology.com.

New status by daviding May 19, 2019
Fit the people around an organization; or an organization around the people? Working backwards, say @MitroffCrisis + #HaroldLinstone, from current concrete choices to uncertain futures, surfaces strategic assumptions in a collective decision, better than starting with an abstract scorecard to rank candidates. The Unbounded Mind is an easier-reading follow-on to The Design of Inquiry Systems […]
New status by daviding April 28, 2019
Our house is on the edge of a flood plain. We know this, because the end of our street in Toronto Riverside was at Lake Ontario, before landfill in the early 1900s. Not everyone knows about what's under the place where they live. "Poor flood-risk maps, or none at all, are keeping Canadian communities in […]
New status by daviding April 26, 2019
An open education system encourages scholarship that embraces perspectives from around the world. The Scholar Rescue Fund is a hopeful initiative that, in a perfect world, wouldn't have to exist. "Canada playing major role as safe haven for at-risk academics from strife-torn countries" | Danielle Edwards | April 23, 2019 | Globe & Mail at […]
New status by daviding April 25, 2019
Moving from coal to green energy for Dong (nee Danish Oil and Natural Gas) started in 2008, leading to an CEO change in 2012, to a 2017 divestment of fossil-fuel bases businesses. Perseverance can pay off, but patience goes through trials. "A tale of transformation: the Danish company that went from black to green energy" […]
New status by daviding April 21, 2019
Public libraries can become hubs for peer-to-peer learning. In the Let's Learn Teach Online program, #TorontoLibrary has partnered with #P2PU, #CiscoNetAcad, #TorontoESS, and #GBCollege to facilitate "Linux Unhatched" and "Introduction to IoT". Larysa Essex shared their experiences at the @gtalug meeting on April 9, 2019. https://daviding.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/2019-04-09-larysa-essex-linux-unhatched-learning-circles-at-toronto-public-library-web-video/

Yin-Yang theory alongside meridians, Five Elements as secondary emblems | Kaptchuk (1983)
In deciphering Yin-Yang and Five Elements (Five Phases) thinking, #Kaptchuk (1983) has a footnote and then an appendix that clarifies the way forward for appreciating foundations of Chinese medicine favouring the former.
Defining the ‘field at a given time’ | Lewin | 1943
The field theory in psychology by #KurtLewin 1943 derives from classical field theory (viz. electromagnetism and gravitation), predating quantum field theory (viz. subatomic particles). For psychology, Lewin wrote in 1943 how history (and a subjective view of the future) matters. It is correct that field theory emphasizes the importance of the fact that any event […]
Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management | Cummings, Bridgman, Brown (2016)
Many who cite #KurtLewin haven't read the original 1947/1951 writings, say @strategybuild @ToddBridgman @kgbphd with the "refreezing" part of "unfreezing → changing → refreezing" emerging in a subsequent career of an idea that can be traced genealogically and archaeologically.
Group Sizes of Wolves Hunting Bison | MacNulty, Tallian, Stahler , Smith (2014)
Human organizations may learn from wolves, with groups of 2 to 6 taking down elk, and cooperative expert groups of 9 to 13+ taking down larger bison. #DanielMacNulty, #AimeeTallian #DanielRStahler #DouglasWSmith (2014).
Effect of Size on Group Performance | Hackman and Vidmar (1970)
Completing tasks in teams of two produces the most satisfaction, but members are most comfortable with 4 or 5 people, found Hackman & Vidmar (1970).
The Rule of Seven for meetings | Blenko, Mankins, Rogers (2010)
Meeting effectiveness is reduced after 7 people are involved, say @BainInsights consultants #Blenko, #Mankins, #Rogers. Follow the Rule of Seven for meetings. Who should come to a meeting is always a sensitive issue, and the basic precept is often “The more the merrier.” But more is rarely better when it comes to making decisions. Our […]

2008/12/15 Simon Winchester, “The Man Who Loved China” (web video)
The story of #JosephNeedham by @simonwwriter, about the scholar behind the 27-volume Science and Civilisation in China starting in 1954 and continuing after his death in 1995. Arriving in China in 1942, Needham discovered gunpowder, printing and the magnetic compass…Read more ›
2019/04/09 Larysa Essex, “Linux Unhatched Learning Circles at Toronto Public Library” (web video)
Talk at @gtalug on Let’s Learn Tech Online @torontolibrary with @p2pu @CiscoNetAcad ‏@TorontoESS. Linux Unhatched online course conducted in groups of 8 to 12, meetings twice per week in person. Non-technical facilitator encourages peers to work out understanding together. Found…Read more ›
2018/03/13 Tara Vancil, “Imagine This: A Web Without Servers” (web video)
Having heard mentions of Beaker Browser, this video helped to explain how editing and publishing web pages could be simplerRead more ›
2013/07/27 Beau Lebens “Taking WordPress to the Front End with O2” (web video)
The WordPress O2 plugin with P2-Breathe theme results in a Facebook-like or Twitter-like streaming interface. The idea was first presented in 2013, evolving from the P2 theme in 2009 (originally launched as Prologue in 2008) when hosted on wordpress.com. “Beau…Read more ›
2016/09/10 Tim Ingold, “The Sustainability of Everything” (web video)
Talk at the Centre for Human Ecology, Glasgow, announced at http://www.che.ac.uk/tim-ingold-talks-about-the-sustainability-of-everything-10th-sept-2016/ Video posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncLv9Gk7XrI and https://vimeo.com/182572764 This digest was created by editing the text transcript generated by Youtube. View the video yourself for a more authentic reproduction. Lapses, grammatical…Read more ›
2016/09/07 “One World Anthropology | Tim Ingold | AIBR
Plenary presentation by Tim Ingold, at the 2nd @AIBR_ International Conference of Anthropology. The 2nd AIBR International Conference of Anthropology brings together anthropologists from different parts of the world under the theme “Identity: Bridges, Thresholds, and Barriers.” [….] [6:58] So…Read more ›

2019/05 Moments May 2019
Family time, empty nest, short trip to conference nearby, friends at home.
2019/04 Moments April 2019
End of a 23-day visit in Shanghai, readjusting to Eastern Time with the many lecture, meetup, friends and family distractions of Toronto.
2019/03 Moments March 2019
Month of intensive lectures and research meetings, in Toronto and then in Shanghai, with social breaks on local excursions to clear minds.
2019/02 Moments February 2019
Reduced exercise outside with a cold and snowy February, with excursions out of the house to warm places with family, friends and colleagues.
2019/01 Moments January 2019
January in Toronto has lots of intellectual offerings and artistic exhibitions to attract the curious out of warm homes, through cold and snow.
2018/12 Moments December 2018
Tried to have a normal month, with a busy social calendar of birthdays, a funeral plus Christmas season, while daily temperatures hovered just above freezing.

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