The Life and Behavior of Living Organisms: A General Theory 1St Edition

Jaques defines life as making choices (258). Thus whatever displays intentional action is alive. All living entities from amoeba to human display these ‘basic life functions’:1. Set goals2. Observe boundaries3. Awareness if space, time4. Awareness of velocity5. Sense quantity6. Identify properties7. Judge probabilities8. Judge possible causes9. Choose and decide10. Socialize and signalThe combination of these functions is organic intentional action or ‘work.’ [This may be the meaning of ‘behavior’ in the title, but I did not find where the writer discusses the term ‘behavior.’]Work combines changes in space over time. The wider the span of space, the longer the time required for work. For example, the following positions in a firm increase attention span on space and time: machine operator – section manager — unit manager — department manager — vice president — executive vice president — corporate COEach follows types of information processing or ‘working processes’ Declarative: work on concrete specified output (machine operator) Cumulative: work on possible steps declarative steps (section manager) Serial: work on alternative cumulative processes (unit manager) Parallel: work on serial processes (department manager)Correspond to Boolean logical types Declarative = Boole’s disjunctive, or ‘A or B or C…’ ) Cumulative = Boole’s conjunctive, or ‘A and B and C…’) Serial = Boole’s conditional, or ‘If A then B, if B then C…’) Parallel = Boole’s bi-directional or A if and only if B)The ‘working processes’ have four ‘strata.’ But the example of the firm (above) has six ‘strata’ (work roles). The relation of four to six strata is that there is “recurrence of the same four processes at each of a number of levels of complexity in the information itself” (32). This ‘recurrence’ is 6 ‘orders of capability.’For instance, life before the evolution of hominids is a ‘first-order of capability.’ (1) Pre-Cambrian single-cell life achieved ‘declarative processing,’ simple the ways bacteria or amoeba interaction. (2) Cambrian multi-cell soft-bodied life achieved ‘cumulative processing,’ the way bees communicate both direction and distance. (3) Vertebrates achieved ‘serial processing’ with multiple senses, the way they form herds, flocks, and schools. (4) Early proto-human hominids achieved ‘parallel processing,’ the way great apes can learn a large vocabulary and understand and generate sentences.A ‘second-order of capability’ restarted the four ‘working processes’ with the humans. (1) Homo Habilis achieved declarative processing, (2) Homo Ergaster achieved cumulative processing, (3) Homo Antecessor or achieved serial processing, and (4) Homo Heidelbergensis achieved parallel processing.Third-to-firth ‘orders of capability’ restarted the cycle with Homo sapiens. We see maturation (ontogeny) repeat phylogeny. (1) Infants 0-3 months have declarative processing; they can cognize objects. (2) Infants 3-4 months have cumulative processing; they can follow movements. (3) Infants 6-18 months have serial processing; they can choose multiple objects based on features. (4) Infants 18-4 years have parallel processing; they can use language.Language is the achievement that distinguishes different orders of complexity. For instance, the six ‘orders of capability’ correspond to linguistic capabilities for work in the human population. Infants — children — adults — exceptional adults — extraordinary adults — geniuses differ in their capability of complex thought and expression of thought in language.Unconsciousness is organic processes (200). Awareness is the universal characteristic of life (200), but consciousness is ‘linguified awareness’ (198) and the self is a mythical linguified entity (199).Reality is the ‘triple process language-suffused world.’ The capability of distancing direct organic experience or ‘engaged direct awareness’ (EDA) begins when words name objects. Naming objects, features, and actions occurs in ‘organic work processes’ (OWP). From this combination arises ‘disengaged conscious ‘languaging’ (DCL) by which we make our fantasies reality (as in computer imagery, for instance).Jaques was a psychoanalyst, but this is not a psychoanalytic work. There are a few interesting references to major figures like Sigmund Freud and Melanie Klein. Rather, Jaques consulted in management organization and his theory developed from empirical observation of work processes. The work includes the admonitions to management on freedom and responsibility that typically generate resounding silence.He is garrulous, but the exposition is sequential, consistent, logical, and complete with examples, tables, and diagrams; an index; a glossary; and a list of references.

I was fortunate enough to speak with Dr. Jaques on several occasions before his death. He was the kind of faculty member with which everyone studying at the doctoral level should have contact. Even though his level of achievement was far beyond what most people will ever be able to hope to attain, let alone attain, he was approachable, and a humane, compassionate person. He was "the real deal," in terms of developing and mentoring others.The quality of his book is apparent, from the first page. His work is thoroughly grounded in biological sciences, and the behavioral research he had conducted for nearly 50 years. The writing is so clear, and well organized and supported, that it is very readable, despite the complexity of the issues discussed.The single obstacle to Dr. Jaques' work, in this, and most of his other writings, is the covert (passive-aggressive, perhaps) and sometimes overt resistance of "mainstream management researchers," or "present-day alchemists." If you read this book, the meaning of that reference will become obvious.Much of the resistance comes from the fact that any one of his books contains more well grounded application in a single chapter, than you can typically find in any of the academic management journals (Academy of Management Review; Academy of Management Journal; Journal of Management; et al.).The evidence of the validity of Dr. Jaques' work is the body of results of organizations applying his methods correctly, starting with Glacier Metals, extending to the present day. In this sense, Dr. Jaques was far more "the real deal," than many Ph.D.s in the field. While it is true that many of them publish, the criteria of whether their methods actually worked, in the field, is more often lacking than met.Read this book. You will be the better for having done so.

Phenomenal -- it make take the society another 100 to 500 to grasp the ideas -- a quantum leap to a more humane world order if deduced to be applied in structuring the modern society and understanding of man.

An excellent book and some very, very valuable insights into human behaviour, either for students or for managers of people.