Cellular pattern of life

Margulis pushed the idea that nucleated cells are co-operating bacteria (image source)

Lynn Margulis really championed the view of all organisms on earth that come after bacteria as basically bacteria co-operating in larger structures (the film Symbiotic Earth is a great primer for this understanding).

If we follow that pattern of any living entity, coming into being as cooperation of sub-entities, then we can explore a metaphor of groups and organisations as multi-cellular creatures. These “organisations as organisms” made up of humans as the “individual cells”, are also then as we dive many layers down, basically bacteria co-operating.

With this view present we can then return to thinking about data as signal.

In our human bodies we can zoom in and out to different levels of whole entities.

We have the level of the cell, which has its signals coming in through receptors, resulting in some internal activity and output of other signals. Think of a neuron that fires as neurotransmitters like endorphin or dopamine trigger receptor sites.

Cells of different kinds band together to create organs which for instance make use of the signalling system of hormones described above.

Something to note here is that we can readily detect electromagnetic signals from organs like the heart and the brain with instruments outside the body so the possibility of our organs communicating directly with the organs of other humans that are in our vicinity should also be kept in mind when we consider things like group dynamics and face-to-face communication.

Organs in turn co-operate to give rise to complex animals like us human beings and as humans we use a very wide range of signalling systems to relate to other humans. These systems include gesturing (like the hug and the finger), pheromones, voice, drawings and written language.

Looking at these systems as producing signal (including us humans tapping away at our computers) as opposed to producing data, could help us create better organisational scaffolding for our cooperation as multi-human organisms.

Which brings us to..

Organisations as organisms

A murmuration is a form of collective coordination, individuals moving as larger organism (image source)

Another reference from the article that I would like to weave in here is the work of Frederic Laloux in exploring the emerging phenomenon of organisations that are embracing the view of themselves as organism in place of the traditional view of organisation as machine.

In his work he describes three pillars that are common to the organisations that he explores. These are Wholeness, Purpose and Self-Management.

From my perspective these three pillars are very useful frames to look through when considering data as signals and how to work with improving signalling.

Wholeness

Wholeness, as described in Lalouxs work, has very much to do with not wearing a professional mask. These masks of professionalism and distance impede many of the emotional signals of a human being from emerging.

When we are not able to signal processes like pain, hurt, joy, distress and fear that are coming through oneself into the groups we are parts of, then we basically create blockages that then ripple out through the layers of wholes ( → organs → humans → (multi-human) organisation → societies → ) as inconsistencies and dissonance.

When we are able to be fully present as human beings with all of our signalling capacities open from the cellular level on up, we are much better at achieving coherence and health on all those levels.

When we mask ourselves and others with professionalism, some very important signals are often lost (image source)

What is required for us to be able to actually come into a group as whole humans and through that helping to create holistic organisations seem to be trust.

I will be holding back some signals if I do not trust that those signals will be received in a way that honors them. In fact, we are very accustomed to our vulnerabilities being exploited in many parts of our society, a society which is fundamentally constructed on the premise of competition as the highest virtue. Think of bullying (dominance hierarchies), advertising and the media truism “if it bleeds it leads” as examples of this.

So for us to be able to signal fully, we must ensure that some signals (human expressions) are safely kept within our circles of trust, while at the same time working to restore trust in ever-widening circles!

The degree to which we feel confident in our safety with regards to the peers we are communicating with, is the degree to which true signalling can occur.

This has major implications to things like what services and technologies we interact with and also for creating groups and processes for organisations.

Richard Bartlett’s depiction of “a fractal view of belonging” (source)

Wholeness can enable accurate or truthful signalling.

Evolutionary Purpose

Another pillar in Lalouxs recounting of emerging organisational behaviour is the listening to what the purpose of the whole organisation is in the larger context of earth itself.

Understanding the function of around which a collection of humans are congregating in any organisation is also vital to ensuring useful signalling.

Knowing what specific part of a perceived specific system the organisation is there to engage with and transform creates clarity around what signals an organisation needs to listen to. An example that is close to my area of practice would be a food cooperative.

What is the purpose of the food cooperative? Well, internally it may function as providing good food for the constituent humans of the multi-human organisation. Additionally it can also have an external functions such as soil fertility, carbon sequestration, increased water holding capacity and species diversity of the surrounding region. In order to ensure that the evolutionary purpose of that food coop is being carried out, the organisation then knows that it needs to elicit and listen to those kind of signals in relationship to the land within which it is embedded.

Knowing evolutionary purpose can enable clarity on what signals to listen to and respond with.

Self-management

The third pillar that is also presented in Lalouxs work is self-management.

As a way too brief summary of this major area of exploration, I would say that this is: the ability for anyone within an organisation to be fully empowered as an individual actor to take any decision as long as others that are going to be affected are asked for advice. A process commonly referred to as “the advice process”.

This also relates greatly to the concept of data as signalling since what is needed for the advice process to really function are things like:

Knowing who to ask (from where do relevant signals originate, open mapping of other interdependent actors in the organisation)

(from where do relevant signals originate, open mapping of other interdependent actors in the organisation) What are useful mediums to facilitate signalling (work group protocols, information support systems)

to facilitate signalling (work group protocols, information support systems) Advice seeker fully receiving and processing signals (supported by a culture that operates on wholeness as described above where people are vulnerable enough to emit true signals and receivers are trusted to really process those signals as true signalling)

In order for self-management to work there seems to be a need to attune and structure organisational processes of signalling to the needs of the people involved