"Even the smallest drop of dew that falls from a rose petal to the ground, reverberates on the farthest star" Albert Einstein.
"The flapping of a butterfly that flies in China, can produce a hurricane in Texas a month later" Edward Lorenz.
According to Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia), chaos (a word derived from the Greek language, Χάος) usually refers to the unpredictable. Chaos derives from the root ghn or ghen of the Proto-Indo-European language ("hollow", "very open"). Due to linguistic variations, the meaning of the word shifted to disorder. As for Chaos Theory, it tells us that it is the popular name for the branch of mathematics, physics and other sciences that treat certain types of dynamical systems that are very sensitive to variations in initial conditions. Small variations in these initial conditions can imply large differences in future behavior; complicating long-term prediction. This happens even though these systems are strictly deterministic, that is;its behavior can be completely determined by knowing its initial conditions.
Interesting, but let's take a parenthesis, let's talk a bit about Galileo's principle of relativity (all reference frames are valid; he stated it clearly in the 17th century: the laws of physics are independent of any reference frame), wanting To be a little more specific, let's talk about the relative motion of uniform translation, which will allow me to illustrate, with scientific basis, that depending on where we are standing, it will be our perception of the environment.
Energy conservation
For this exercise, we have two observers (a and b), both will comply with the laws of Mechanics:
- Universal gravitation Conservation of energy Conservation of momentum
According to Galileo's principle of relativity, an inertial reference frame is one in which no acceleration is observed if no force acts on the body and any system moving at constant speed with respect to an inertial reference frame also is an inertial reference frame
Well, in figure No. 1, we have the observer "b" who throws a ball in a vertical direction with respect to the plane, to avoid unnecessary complications, we will assume that the air is at rest and the ball would fall right back into the observer's hand. If it weren't for the air pushing it back, the trajectory of the ball, seen in the reference frame of the plane at rest, is a straight vertical line.
On the other hand, we have figure No. 2; the plane, without varying the speed, moves in a straight line, the trajectory of the ball, seen by the observer "b" in the plane's reference system, is a vertical straight line. In contrast, in the observer “a” reference frame on land, the trajectory is a parabola (for observer (“a”) on land, the ball has a horizontal component of velocity, equal to the velocity of the flat). These two descriptions of the same physical phenomenon are perfectly compatible with each other: an observer on land sees a ball that is thrown with a horizontal speed that is precisely the speed of the plane and sees the ball always fall into the observer's hand "b", which moves with the same speed;an observer (“b”) in the plane simply sees a vertical drop (figure No. 1). Both the plane and the mainland are acceptable reference systems, and it is only a matter of convenience to choose the most appropriate one.
Both observers are in the presence of the same phenomenon, but depending on whether it is "b" or "a", you will see the vertical or parabolic trajectory of the ball.
Excellent, for classical physics, the description of the motion of a particle is associated with the concept of its trajectory, and the dynamic state of the system is completely specified by the knowledge of its position and velocity at any instant of time. However, the wave characteristics of a microscopic object do have a very important influence on its movement, to such an extent that the concept of trajectory is lost, since, according to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, for objects of microscopic size, it is not possible to accurately measure position and speed simultaneously. Thus, in the case of microscopic objects it is necessary to resort to quantum physics. Obviously, we would need leaves and leaves, rather,books and books to get into the guts of classical mechanics and quantum mechanics, but this is beyond the scope of this article and the task is left to physicists.
The H2O molecule
Now let's talk a little about something that we all know, about something that we all need such as H2O (water). At first glance, it seems simple and trivial to talk about it, but my dear reader, I guarantee you, it all depends on the interlocutor:
For the physicist
Water, is an exceptional liquid, it is formed by H2O molecules of tetrahedral geometry: the two OH covalent bonds and the two free electronic doublets of the oxygen atom point towards the vertices of a tetrahedron in the center of which is oxygen.
The H2O molecule has a curved geometry with an OH bond distance of 0.958 Ǻ and an HOH bond angle of 104.5o (Figure # 3). The large electronegativity difference between H and O gives it an ionic character of 33% in the OH bond as indicated by the dipole moment of water of 1.85 Debye units (it is a unit of electric dipole moment). A phenomenon with enormous implications for living beings.
Hydrogen bonds
In water, H2O molecules are linked through hydrogen bonds (figure No. 4), this is established when the covalent OH bond is directed directly to the cloud of the electronic pair of the oxygen atom and has a distance 0.5 Ǻ shorter than the Van der Waals distance (named after the Dutch scientist Johannes Diderik van der Waals, it is the closest distance between atoms not joined by a bond), the specific case of water, the OH bond distance is approximately 1.8 Ǻ versus 2.6 Ǻ for the corresponding Van der Waals distance
For the chemist
From the chemical point of view, in that almost all the chemical processes that occur in nature, not only in living organisms, but also in the non-organic surface of the earth, as well as those that are carried out in laboratories and in In industry, they take place between substances dissolved in water, that is, in solution (also called a solution, it is a homogeneous mixture at the molecular or ionic level of two or more substances). Water is normally said to be the universal solvent, since all substances are somehow soluble in it. Due to their polar nature, they tend to decrease the attractions between the ions of the salts and the ionic compounds, facilitating their dissociation in the form of anions and cations and surrounding them by water dipoles that prevent their union.
With a pH (this term was coined by the Danish chemist Sørensen, who defined it as the negative logarithm in base 10 of the activity of hydrogen ions. That is: pH = -log10) equal to 7 (the pH scale typically goes from 0 to 14 in aqueous solution, being acidic solutions with a pH lower than 7, and alkaline those with a pH higher than 7. The pH = 7 indicates neutrality), it does not have acidic or basic properties, it combines with certain salts to form hydrates, reacts with metal oxides to form acids and acts as a catalyst in many chemical reactions.
For the biologist
Water is the most abundant substance in living systems, constituting 70% or more of the weight of most organisms. It is present in all places in the cell, being the transport medium for cellular nutrients and the reaction medium in which the vast majority of chemical reactions of metabolism take place; it is, in short, the environment in which the other biomolecules move and interact.
Cells need water to have a certain structure. In this way we can say that this element configures the shape of the organs. We need adequate hydration to keep the body perfectly balanced. This is what transports, in the form of true solutions or colloidal dispersions, the substances that repair tissues. Water is chemically involved in all hydrolysis reactions that are decisive in nutritional processes.
For the doctor
It is essential for physiological processes such as digestion, absorption and elimination of metabolic wastes that are not digestible, as well as for the circulatory system to have structure and function. Therefore, it is considered a hydrodynamic element that uses mechanical systems to transmit pressure. We can observe it in renal filtration or in the same blood pressure moved by the activity of the heart.
Blood is 92% water, the brain is 75% (moderate dehydration can cause headaches and dizziness), it regulates body temperature, moistens oxygen for breathing, and helps the body absorb nutrients.
For the sociologist
It is a fundamental resource for the development of life on earth, it is used in almost all human activities: in agriculture, industry, food production, personal hygiene, food, etc. Therefore, we must take care of it since every day it is more difficult to extract it and distribute it to society.
It is really interesting to see how different specialties, as different disciplines of knowledge, each one from its perspective, give a very particular explanation of the same topic; the physicist, the chemist, the biologist, the doctor, the sociologist, all talk about water (H2O), making use of their vocabulary, they give master classes on the same topic but with a really different content.
From what has been said so far, I am afraid that our appreciation and possible explanation of a phenomenon (trajectory of the ball, H2O), will depend on our discipline of knowledge and our level and cognitive quality of it.
Well, it's time to get down to business.
Chaos management? o Chaos in management
With the idea of avoiding confusion and misunderstandings, let's begin the dialogue by placing the accent on the term "Management", an important and fundamental part of "Management" and this, in turn, a crucial piece and cornerstone of the well-known discipline of knowledge., "Administration" is not physics, it is not chemistry, it is not engineering, it is not medicine, it is not psychology, it is not economics, it is categorically, and with all the literary sense, "Administration".
And thus, managers practice Administration, they do not practice economics, they do not practice behavioral science, they do not engage in quantification, these disciplines are simply instruments, they are the manager's tools; he simply exercises the Administration.
Knowing only the skills and techniques and not knowing the basic elements of administration is not a manager, in the best of cases, it is a technician with a managerial position.
Its practice and performance is not the simple application of common sense, it is not leadership and much less financial manipulation, it is simply the implementation of knowledge of Administration (Plan, Organize, Direct and Control) with the corresponding responsibility of the case.
If the idea is to look for someone to run a company, a company in all its broad sense, and even worse, to run a mega company (corporation) I will not look for a doctor, I will not look for a physicist or a pedagogue, much less an astronomer, Without a doubt, I will be looking for a manager, because otherwise I would be playing Russian roulette and welcome Chaos, at its best and in all its manifestations.
In the world of companies, again in its broadest sense, many directors and managers say they dedicate a large part of their time (in their more than 12 hours a day) to managing uncertainty and, above all, to what they call the management of Chaos. In the case of many, yes my dear reader, of many of them, that management of Chaos, although you may not believe it, is usually a direct consequence of the Chaos of their management.
Just as medicines, in general, management decisions have secondary effects, some minimal but could turn, in the not too distant future, into a tornado, definitely real or invented, the collateral effects of these decisions are there, it all depends the level of myopia and cognitive disability of the one who generates and executes said decision.
In this vein, it is really easy to find someone who loves to play manager, who consciously or unconsciously, generates and / or encourages, deliberately or not, Chaos and thus be in full swing when it comes to justifying performance of its management.
On the other hand, like the one who does not want the thing, the Peter Principle holds that hierarchy itself, through promotions, transforms capable employees into inefficient bosses. Also, incompetence breeds more incompetence. Bad managers assign tasks to the wrong people, and force others to exceed their zones of responsibility.
“We have to very carefully reexamine how people are promoted in organizations,” says Catlette, co-author of Contented Cows Give Better Milk. And she adds: “If someone worked well in a place for 10 years, we should give them preferential possibilities, like choosing their days off and things like that, but not promoting them to a position that requires other skills. For something, nurses are not promoted to neurosurgeons ”.
I do not doubt that at any moment Chaos may arise, but be careful, it will have the Chaos rating, as long as it is given shape, color and texture. Every manager knows that he can predict it (environmental analysis, risk analysis, planning), every manager knows that he can combat it (organization, direction, teamwork, strategic management), every manager knows that he must learn from it (control, record of what happened, continuous improvement, training, process optimization).
As noted above, I am afraid that our appreciation and possible explanation of a phenomenon (trajectory of the ball, H2O), will depend on our discipline of knowledge and our level and cognitive quality of it.
"Chaos is a theory of the" process "rather than of the" state ", of" becoming "rather than of" being ""
Footnotes
- José Luís Subias 1991 "Introduction to the theory of chaos, representing attractors by orbitals". Area of Graphical Expression in Engineering. University of Zaragoza, Spain. November 1.
