Diana Belohlavek


 

 

Unicist Education: The Adults’ learning process in complex adaptive environments

The learning context provides the framework that allows building a guiding idea to begin a learning process. The construction of the guiding idea of learning processes is the first stage to be fulfilled in order to make a learning process begin. Unfortunately, many adults prefer judging instead of assuming the role of a learner. Learning requires a personal decision that cannot be forced because adult people only learn what they need.

Learning ContextThe generation of a guiding idea requires that people are exposed to real value-adding actions and discover that they cannot achieve the necessary results with what they have.

The exposure of individuals to value-adding actions implies two alternative situations:

a) The individual can generate the necessary value.

b) The individual cannot generate it.

If the individual cannot solve the problem, there are two alternatives:

1) The individual is in a comfort zone and is not interested in acquiring a new knowledge to solve the problem.

2) The person needs and wants to learn to solve the problem.

Only the case b) 2) drives to a learning process. The design of learning processes needs to follow the unicist ontology of learning, which defines that, prior to a learning process, an individual needs to be exposed to a meaningful value generation process in order to be able to reflect on that experience and decide to learn or not to learn.

Unavoidably, the learning process in complex environments requires an action-reflection-action process that begins when the guiding idea of the learning objective has been defined. Meaningful guiding ideas sustain the success of learning processes.

Diana Belohlavek

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute was the pioneer in using the unicist logical approach in complexity science research and became a private global decentralized leading research organization in the field of human adaptive systems. It has an academic arm and a business arm. http://www.unicist.org/repo/#Unicist


DNA of Leadership: Breakthrough in the Research of Behavior

The discovery of the unicist ontological structure describes what can be defined as the genome (DNA) of leadership. The knowledge of its structure and the different categories of leaders allow defining the functionality of the leadership style of an individual and how s/he complements and supplements with others.

Leadership is based on the need to sustain one’s authority. But the participation of others is a condition of leadership. A leader is such because s/he is followed. Therefore, in terms of the unicist logic, participation is the active function of leadership and the energy conservation function is given by the power a leader has to impose her/his authority.

Shared objectives are the driver of leadership. Shared objectives precede the leader’s activity. Exceptions are new groups with no objectives. In this case, a creative leader is needed. Shared objectives are synthesized in the vision of a company or of a group.

Both the creative and the constructive leadership types are functional to develop maximal strategies. Maximal strategies requires democratic, authoritative and exemplarity driven leadership.

Both the authoritarian and the charismatic leadership types are functional to develop minimum strategies. Minimum strategies require a dualistic approach which includes authoritarian, charismatic and laissez faire leadership.

Authoritative paternalistic leadership is the catalyst for minimum strategies. When the catalyst is missing it works as an inhibitor of minimum strategies driving towards failure or inaction.

Diana Belohlavek

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute was the pioneer in complexity science research and became a private global decentralized leading research organization in the field of human adaptive systems.
www.unicist.org/turi.pdf


The Unicist Logical Foundations of Jean Piaget’s Theory

Adaptation, accommodation and assimilation were terms used by Jean Piaget to define the learning process. It has been sustained that the adaptation process, which is the final goal of human intelligence, follows two complementary processes: accommodation and assimilation.

The unicist approach has been using these concepts since the eighties considering them as a neural entity individuals have to approach learning processes. Therefore they have, as any entity, a purpose, and active function and an energy conservation function.

The purpose of this entity is to adapt to the environment, because this is the purpose of any healthy human being.

The active function is given by the accommodation process, that is the process in which the mind has to accommodate itself to the evidence with which it is being confronted.

This process is extremely energy consuming because it demands moving internal structures to find a way to adapt to the external environment. The accommodation process is supplementary to the adaptation process meaning that it is redundant but having a superior solution to adapt to the environment.

The changes proposed by the accommodation process are limited by the assimilation process. The assimilation process is the energy conservation function that allows adapting to the environment. The assimilation process consists in the integration of the external environment in the mind without changing the concepts the individual has.

Assimilation and adaptation are complementary which means that the assimilation provides the information that is needed to adapt to the environment.

Adaptation, accommodation and assimilation define the essential structure of a learning process which is nonexistent if individuals cannot adapt to the environment because they need to over-adapt to it. Over-adaptation implies a submissive, dominant or oppositional attitude towards the environment.

Conclusion

There exists no complementation between the accommodation and the assimilation processes. They are integrated by the adaptation process. That is why when adaption does not exist there is no possibility that an individual learns.

Peter Belohlavek

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute was the pioneer in complexity science research and became a private global decentralized world-class research organization in the field of human adaptive systems. http://www.unicist.org


In life do you focus on finding answers or questions?

Focusing on answers is adequate to deal within the boundaries you manage. But if you want to expand your activities and grow you need to find the questions that are needed.

No one will teach you how to do this, there are no recipes. You need to learn it.

But “Teaching vs. Learning” is a fallacious option. While teaching provides a secure environment for individuals, learning, on the other hand, is based on the internal freedom of individuals.

The model “theory – practice” is the natural model for teaching. The unicist path “action-thought / reflection – action” is the natural approach to learning.

The teaching approach, based on previous theoretical knowledge, necessarily leads to actions where the thematic approach precedes the problematic application.

This approach is functional to simple problems solutions.

“Focus” is vital for complex problems solutions. Learning fosters focusing on problems. The process begins and ends working with a problem and measuring the results.

If you are interested in thematic learning you need to find the answers a specific approach provides. If you are trying to solve problems you need to find the questions that drive you towards the solution.

Access a synthesis on the “Discovery of the Unicist Ontology of Human Learning” that is available at the Scientific Dissemination Program. You will find there other syntheses that might be of your interest: https://www.unicist.org/talents/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ontology_learning_en.pdf

Diana Belohlavek

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute was the pioneer in complexity science research and became a global decentralized world-class research organization in the field of human adaptive systems. http://www.unicist.org


Learning from Procter & Gamble using the Unicist Standard

The notorious capacity of Procter & Gamble is given by the way it manages the social insertion of innovations.

We recommend watching the following two short presentations of Procter & Gamble at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycMXZDybhlw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x93YopVXJSM

Innovation is the basis for economic growth.  Essentially, countries, cultures, institutions, and individuals grow only in the fields where they are open to innovations.

The purpose of innovation is to overcome scarcity. That is why only people or cultures that have the will, find the way to overcome scarcity.  This is the cultural context that fosters innovation.

The driver of innovation is human creation. The word creation is used in the sense of recreation. Humans create based on the existing energy.

The maximal strategy of innovations drives towards the solution of a scarcity. Therefore innovative organizations have the perception that they add value to the environment. But this is only true if the minimum strategy is also fulfilled.

The minimum strategy implies inserting the innovations into the social capital of the environment. Social capital is defined by the strength of the bonds that integrate the members of a community.

Commercial innovations need to be only one step ahead of the habits of the environment. If they are more than one step ahead they fail, unless there is an extreme need and they are, implicitly, a “back to basics”.

In this field Procter & Gamble is a notorious benchmark.

Access the unicist standard contained in the Unicist Business Search Engine:
http://www.unicist.com/

Request more information: n.i.brown@unicist.org

Diana Belohlavek
VP Knowledge Management
& Communication

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute is the major research organization in the world in its specialty based on more than 3,000 researches in complexity science applied to individual, institutional and social evolution. The applicative researches are based on the discovery of the Ontogenetic Intelligence of Nature and the consequent Unicist Theory of Evolution.

Unicist Strategy

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Benchmarking Procter & Gamble: Unicist Innovation

Procter & Gamble is a world leader in innovation. This allows learning from P&G how to manage innovation to make it successful in the markets.

The Unicist Standard includes a fundamental approach to deal with innovations that allows integrating fundamentals with technical analytical knowledge to produce successful innovations.

The question we are posing is: Which are the fundamentals of innovation?

You can find information on how Procter & Gamble deals with innovations presented by Robert Bob McDonald, COO of Procter & Gamble. There are two short presentations at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycMXZDybhlw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x93YopVXJSM

In one week you will find a response to the fundamentals of innovation on this blog.

Access the unicist standard contained in the Unicist Business Search Engine:
http://www.unicist.com/

Request more information: n.i.brown@unicist.org

Diana Belohlavek
VP Unicist Knowledge Bank

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute is the major research organization in the world in its specialty based on more than 3,000 researches in complexity science applied to individual, institutional and social evolution.

Unicist Strategy

If you would like to receive monthly information on this blog, please register here.

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The Unicist Standard needs to be a Rolls-Royce

Benchmarking Rolls-Royce is necessary for all those products or activities that are considered prestigious by the community and that need to sustain their seeking for perfection to achieve their credibility in the market.

In the following lines you can find the answers to the questions posed in this previous post:
http://www.unicist.net/partners-news/benchmarking-is-the-unicist-standard-a-rolls-royce/

A Rolls-Royce is an extremely prestigious car because it has extreme functionality, quality, added value and reliability.

The integration of these four extreme characteristics makes its positioning as a prestigious car possible.

The purpose of a “Rolls-Royce” is to satisfy the feeling of having achieved perfection. Perfection is considered as something that satisfies 100% the expectancy of the buyer. This means that a “Rolls-Royce” satisfies the needs of the buyer considered as an individual, as part of a group and within her/his social environment.

Every activity or product that requires perfection, in the above described sense, needs to position as a “Rolls-Royce”.  This can be frequently seen in medicine, in politics, in strategy, and in all those fields where the value added is extreme and extreme reliability is expected.

The extreme functionality mentioned above has two aspects. It has to be extremely functional as a device but also extremely functional in its operation. This implies that no one can expect a superior functionality in the market.

The need for extreme quality implies extreme quality assurance and extreme control. Thus reliability and extreme added value are sustained.

Therefore the process of Rolls-Royce building includes an extremely strict concept, its update in the field of scientific possibilities, the management of all the techniques necessary to achieve perfection and last, but not least, the necessary art to make the perfection perceivable by the community.

Rolls-Royce building and positioning is not a question of choice. It is a question of beliefs. But it needs to be said that this does not guarantee success in business.

Access the unicist standard contained in the Unicist Business Search Engine:
http://www.unicist.com/

Request more information: n.i.brown@unicist.org

Diana Belohlavek
VP Unicist Knowledge Bank

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute is the major research organization in the world in its specialty based on more than 3,000 researches in complexity science applied to individual, institutional and social evolution.

Unicist Strategy

If you would like to receive monthly information on this blog, please register here.

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Benchmarking Unilever: Unicist Object Driven Leadership

Unilever is a world leader that manages leadership based on an institutional approach. The nature of leadership defines how organizations integrate hardware, software and peopleware.

The Unicist Standard in leadership deals with Object Driven Leadership that allows leading without needing to exert power but in extreme chaotic situations.

The key is integrating the authority of the leader with an adequate participation within a context of power.

But the question here is:  Which are the fundamentals of leadership?

You can find the information on the nature of leadership presented by Unilever’s Global Head of HR, Sandy Ogg, who reflects on the recent changes and directions at Unilever and the role of HR and Leadership: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMcHnabCNXo

In two weeks you will find a response to the fundamentals of leadership on this blog.

Access the unicist standard contained in the Unicist Business Search Engine:
http://www.unicist.com/

Request more information: n.i.brown@unicist.org

Diana Belohlavek
VP Unicist Knowledge Bank

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute is the major research organization in the world in its specialty based on more than 3,000 researches in complexity science applied to individual, institutional and social evolution.

Unicist Strategy

If you would like to receive monthly information on this blog, please register here.

Follow us on twitter


General Electric, a world leader in innovation

As Nikola Tesla laid the groundings for “Innovative Research Laboratories”, Thomas A. Edison laid the groundings for “Product Development Laboratories.”

The unicist standard for business strategy allows defining the fundamentals of General Electric’s business in order to benchmark its experiences.

General Electric was born together with the “Product Development Laboratories” of Thomas A. Edison. Thus General Electric’s business concept is driven by research in all the fields where it considers there is a possibility to generate added value to the market.

In the development of innovations, the minimum strategy drives toward the building of social capital. This is the central fundamental of General Electric and it is sustained by the diversified “Product Development Laboratories” they have around the world.

General Electric is a leading firm in the different fields it works because, besides being extremely innovative, it is Market Value Adding focused.

Being focused on market value adding allows developing useful researches and strengthening the market bonds by improving the social capital in the environment.

The structural approach to innovations developed by General Electric is an “extreme” benchmark for innovative businesses.

Access the unicist standard contained in the Unicist Business Search Engine:
http://www.unicist.com/

Request more information: n.i.brown@unicist.org

Diana Belohlavek
VP Unicist Knowledge Bank

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute is the major research organization in the world in its specialty based on more than 3,000 researches in complexity science applied to individual, institutional and social evolution.

Unicist Strategy

If you would like to receive monthly information on this blog, please register here.

Follow us on twitter


Benchmarking General Electric: The Nature of Innovation

Managing the nature of innovation is basic when dealing with growth. This is something General Electric manages since the era of Thomas Edison.

The Unicist Standard in Innovation Management deals with the object driven technologies that are necessary to manage innovations.

You will find the information on the nature of innovation between the lines of Jeff Immelt’s lecture, CEO of G.E:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YOEwYAXH10

Next week we will be providing the ontology of innovation in order to help benchmark General Electric.

Request more information: n.i.brown@unicist.org

Diana Belohlavek
VP Unicist Knowledge Bank

NOTE: The Unicist Research Institute is the major research organization in the world in its specialty based on more than 3,000 researches in complexity sciences applied to individual, institutional and social