Conversation and research

Gordon Pask’s conversation theory was created in the 1970s. The theory encompasses a high-level framework for studying interactions between actors in artificial situations where people co-operate, have conflicts, follow rules, negotiate outcomes, invent new rules together, etc. Sadly, the theory is not well known. The authors claim that this is due to idiosyncratic use of terminology and radical departure from widespread research practices and accepted experimental procedures. It is argued that conversation theory furnishes a methodology for the creation and maintenance of social rule-systems. The argument is illustrated with examples from the public (car) traffic system in The Netherlands.\ud \u

Video Content Foraging

With information systems, the real design problem is not increased access to information, but greater efficiency in finding useful information. In our approach to video content browsing, we try to match the browsing environment with human information processing structures by applying ideas from information foraging theory. In our prototype, video content is divided into video patches, which are collections of video fragments sharing a certain attribute. Browsing within a patch increases efficient interaction as other video content can be (temporarily) ignored. Links to other patches (browsing cues) are constantly provided, facilitating users to switch to other patches or to combine patches. When a browsing cue matches a users goals or interests, this cue carries a scent for that user. It is stated that people browse video material by following scent. The prototype is now sufficiently developed for subsequent research on this and other principles of information foraging theory

Reinventing education: Self-inquiry as a generator of new variety

In a public school organisation in the Netherlands a number of problems was met, failing internal governance being the most crucial one. In this kind of situation, the demand for change and improvement often leads to the adoption of a blueprint. A blueprint is a model for change, which has been applied elsewhere, and functions as an example for the situation at hand. Sadly enough, maintaining a blueprint of some sort often leads to meagre results and a number of negative side effects. A principal reason for this failure is that the efficacy of the blueprint depends on the control it exerts. However, most of the problems in society and institutions do not have to do with a lack of control, but with the problem that our institutions are not sufficiently capable of dealing with unexpected variation generated by the actors in a changing environment. In this paper we argue that this problem exists because often actors behave as if they were restricted instances of a category (e.g.: manager, teacher, parent). What is needed is an alternative approach. Hence, a construct is introduced, which was later articulated in terms of the myth of the round table. It is argued that the round table bypasses the imposition of a blueprint, by stimulating a process of selfinquiry and actor-configuration.Change programs, management theory, management development, blueprint, source of authority, actor position, actor configuration, self-inquiry, reinvention, variation generator.