Some Idle Speculation

CSGnet Archive CSG2019
1

Fred Nickols (2019.09.20.1549 ET)

I’ve mentioned before that the way I keep my car in the center of its lane (or at least hope that’s where I keep it) has to do with my perceptions of the relationship between points on my windshield and the right and center lane markers.

I’ve been driving for more than 65 years and I’ve noticed several lane patterns. First are the “wanderers” - they tend to move all over their lane but, thank goodness, by and large they stay in it. Then there are the “right side huggers;” they stay very close to the right lane marker. The last group are the “center line huggers;” they stay very close to the center line.

I was wondering about their reference signals and their perceptions. Suppose a right side hugger thinks he or she is staying in the center of the lane. The stated reference signal is OK but their perception seems to be matching a reference signal that is skewed to the right. Same for the center line huggers. They might think they’re staying in the center of the lane but their control places them elsewhere.

So, it seems to me that if you want to keep your car in the center of the lane, you might go somewhere where you can park in the center of the lane and then get behind the wheel and find some perceptual clues you can use to maintain that position when driving.

I know this is grade school stuff but it seems to me that an awful lot of training in the workplace could benefit from developing appropriate reference signals that match perceptions what is expected.

Has anybody explored that? If so, who? Where are the papers?

···

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

2

Hi Fred, That’s under assumption that the person wants to be in the centre of their lane. Considering we can’t really know what other people are controlling, no matter how much we help to set reference signals for this, it might have no use if the person is controlling for other goals. Let’s say they might be controlling for daughter’s safety in the passengers seat, or ‘avoiding collisions with cars from opposite’ lane. They might know how to keep the car in the centre, but there are higher level goals that are more important.
I guess the usefulness of setting reference signals at workplace would depend on whether people are controlling for the same goal. As far as my work is concerned (therapist), my goals and my employers’ goals don’t always match.

However, maybe this can be useful in less complex settings?

Best wishes,

Kuba

Jakub Grzegrzolka

···

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

3

[From Bruce Nevin (20190921:22:15 ET)]

Fred, you’ve read Jim Soldani’s account of his application of PCT to managing a manufacturing group for Intel, haven’t you? Check with Dag if you haven’t.

···

/Bruce

On Fri, Sep 20, 2019 at 3:58 PM Fred Nickols csgnet@lists.illinois.edu wrote:

Fred Nickols (2019.09.20.1549 ET)

I’ve mentioned before that the way I keep my car in the center of its lane (or at least hope that’s where I keep it) has to do with my perceptions of the relationship between points on my windshield and the right and center lane markers.

I’ve been driving for more than 65 years and I’ve noticed several lane patterns. First are the “wanderers” - they tend to move all over their lane but, thank goodness, by and large they stay in it. Then there are the “right side huggers;” they stay very close to the right lane marker. The last group are the “center line huggers;” they stay very close to the center line.

I was wondering about their reference signals and their perceptions. Suppose a right side hugger thinks he or she is staying in the center of the lane. The stated reference signal is OK but their perception seems to be matching a reference signal that is skewed to the right. Same for the center line huggers. They might think they’re staying in the center of the lane but their control places them elsewhere.

So, it seems to me that if you want to keep your car in the center of the lane, you might go somewhere where you can park in the center of the lane and then get behind the wheel and find some perceptual clues you can use to maintain that position when driving.

I know this is grade school stuff but it seems to me that an awful lot of training in the workplace could benefit from developing appropriate reference signals that match perceptions what is expected.

Has anybody explored that? If so, who? Where are the papers?

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

4

Jakub:

I think it’s fair to say that the task of training people to perform in accordance with management’s expectations is furthered by getting them to adopt the appropriate reference signals, even if only temporarily, and not trying to control their behavior.

···

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

5

Yes, I’ve read it. I just finished re-reading it. Thanks for the reminder. I actually found Robert Lord and Mary Kernan’s “Control Theory in Work Settings” to be equally helpful. I have Hershberger’s Volitional Action which is where I read them. Did Soldani have another paper?

···

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

6

[From Bruce Nevin (20190925.18:00 ET)]

Yes, I meant Chapter 24 of that volume.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166411508619287

Dag may know of another document, my memory isn’t very specific about it at the moment.

···

/Bruce

On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:15 AM Fred Nickols fwnickols@gmail.com wrote:

Yes, I’ve read it. I just finished re-reading it. Thanks for the reminder. I actually found Robert Lord and Mary Kernan’s “Control Theory in Work Settings” to be equally helpful. I have Hershberger’s Volitional Action which is where I read them. Did Soldani have another paper?

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

On Sat, Sep 21, 2019 at 10:17 PM Bruce Nevin csgnet@lists.illinois.edu wrote:

[From Bruce Nevin (20190921:22:15 ET)]

Fred, you’ve read Jim Soldani’s account of his application of PCT to managing a manufacturing group for Intel, haven’t you? Check with Dag if you haven’t.

/Bruce

On Fri, Sep 20, 2019 at 3:58 PM Fred Nickols csgnet@lists.illinois.edu wrote:

Fred Nickols (2019.09.20.1549 ET)

I’ve mentioned before that the way I keep my car in the center of its lane (or at least hope that’s where I keep it) has to do with my perceptions of the relationship between points on my windshield and the right and center lane markers.

I’ve been driving for more than 65 years and I’ve noticed several lane patterns. First are the “wanderers” - they tend to move all over their lane but, thank goodness, by and large they stay in it. Then there are the “right side huggers;” they stay very close to the right lane marker. The last group are the “center line huggers;” they stay very close to the center line.

I was wondering about their reference signals and their perceptions. Suppose a right side hugger thinks he or she is staying in the center of the lane. The stated reference signal is OK but their perception seems to be matching a reference signal that is skewed to the right. Same for the center line huggers. They might think they’re staying in the center of the lane but their control places them elsewhere.

So, it seems to me that if you want to keep your car in the center of the lane, you might go somewhere where you can park in the center of the lane and then get behind the wheel and find some perceptual clues you can use to maintain that position when driving.

I know this is grade school stuff but it seems to me that an awful lot of training in the workplace could benefit from developing appropriate reference signals that match perceptions what is expected.

Has anybody explored that? If so, who? Where are the papers?

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

7

[From Dag Forssell (20190925.15:20 PST)]

Elsevier told me years ago that with the author’s permission, I was free to reproduce the article. Much, much later I worked with Jim as he wrote another paper to explain what he did to achieve those results.

Both articles are in the Book of Readings.

http://www.livingcontrolsystems.com/readings/readings.html

Best, Dag

···

At 03:01 PM 9/25/2019, bnhpct@gmail.com via csgnet Mailing List wrote:

[From Bruce Nevin (20190925.18:00 ET)]

Yes, I meant Chapter 24 of that volume.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166411508619287Â

Dag may know of another document, my memory isn’t very specific about it at the moment.

/BruceÂ

On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:15 AM Fred Nickols fwnickols@gmail.com wrote:
Yes, I’ve read it. I just finished re-reading it. Thanks for the reminder. I actually found Robert Lord and Mary Kernan’s “Control Theory in Work Settings” to be equally helpful. I have Hershberger’s Volitional Action which is where I read them. Did Soldani have another paper?

Regards,

Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”
www.nickols.us

On Sat, Sep 21, 2019 at 10:17 PM Bruce Nevin csgnet@lists.illinois.edu wrote:
[From Bruce Nevin (20190921:22:15 ET)]

Fred, you’ve read Jim Soldani’s account of his application of PCT to managing a manufacturing group for Intel, haven’t you? Check with Dag if you haven’t.

/Bruce

On Fri, Sep 20, 2019 at 3:58 PM Fred Nickols csgnet@lists.illinois.edu wrote:
Fred Nickols (2019.09.20.1549 ET)

I’ve mentioned before that the way I keep my car in the center of its lane (or at least hope that’s where I keep it) has to do with my perceptions of the relationship between points on my windshield and the right and center lane markers.

I’ve been driving for more than 65 years and I’ve noticed several lane patterns. First are the “wanderers” - they tend to move all over their lane but, thank goodness, by and large they stay in it. Then there are the “right side huggers;” they stay very close to the right lane marker. The last group are the “center line huggers;” they stay very close to the center line.

I was wondering about their reference signals and their perceptions. Suppose a right side hugger thinks he or she is staying in the center of the lane. The stated reference signal is OK but their perception seems to be matching a reference signal that is skewed to the right. Same for the center line huggers. They might think they’re staying in the center of the lane but their control places them elsewhere.

So, it seems to me that if you want to keep your car in the center of the lane, you might go somewhere where you can park in the center of the lane and then get behind the wheel and find some perceptual clues you can use to maintain that position when driving.

I know this is grade school stuff but it seems to me that an awful lot of training in the workplace could benefit from developing appropriate reference signals that match perceptions what is expected.

Has anybody explored that? If so, who? Where are the papers?

Regards,

Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”
www.nickols.us

8

[From Dag Forssell (20190925.15:20 PST)]

Elsevier told me years ago that with the author’s permission, I was free
to reproduce the article. Much, much later I worked with Jim as he wrote
another paper to explain what he did to achieve those results.

Both articles are in the Book of Readings.


http://www.livingcontrolsystems.com/readings/readings.html

Best, Dag

···

At 03:01 PM 9/25/2019, bnhpct@gmail.com via csgnet Mailing List wrote:

[From Bruce Nevin
(20190925.18:00 ET)]

Yes, I meant Chapter 24 of that volume.


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166411508619287�

Dag may know of another document, my memory isn’t very specific about it
at the moment.

/Bruce�

On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:15 AM Fred Nickols > fwnickols@gmail.com > wrote:
Yes, I’ve read it.� I just finished re-reading it.�
Thanks for the reminder.� I actually found Robert Lord and Mary
Kernan’s “Control Theory in Work Settings” to be equally
helpful.� I have Hershberger’s Volitional Action which is where I
read them.� Did Soldani have another paper?

Regards,

Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”
www.nickols.us

On Sat, Sep 21, 2019 at 10:17 PM Bruce Nevin > < > csgnet@lists.illinois.edu> wrote:
[From Bruce Nevin (20190921:22:15 ET)]

Fred, you’ve read Jim Soldani’s account of his application of PCT to
managing a manufacturing group for Intel, haven’t you? Check with Dag if
you haven’t.

/Bruce

On Fri, Sep 20, 2019 at 3:58 PM Fred Nickols > < > csgnet@lists.illinois.edu> wrote:
Fred Nickols (2019.09.20.1549 ET)

I’ve mentioned before that the way I keep my car in the center of its
lane (or at least hope that’s where I keep it) has to do with my
perceptions of the relationship between points on my windshield and the
right and center lane markers.

I’ve been driving for more than 65 years and I’ve noticed several
lane patterns.� First are the “wanderers” - they tend to
move all over their lane but, thank goodness, by and large they stay in
it.� Then there are the “right side huggers;” they stay
very close to the right lane marker.� The last group are the
“center line huggers;” they stay very close to the center
line.

I was wondering about their reference signals and their
perceptions.� Suppose a right side hugger thinks he or she is
staying in the center of the lane.� The stated reference signal is
OK but their perception seems to be matching a reference signal that is
skewed to the right.� Same for the center line huggers.� They
might think they’re staying in the center of the lane but their control
places them elsewhere.

So, it seems to me that if you want to keep your car in the center of
the lane, you might go somewhere where you can park in the center of the
lane and then get behind the wheel and find some perceptual clues you can
use to maintain that position when driving.

I know this is grade school stuff but it seems to me that an awful
lot of training in the workplace could benefit from developing
appropriate reference signals that match perceptions what is
expected.

Has anybody explored that?� If so, who?� Where are the
papers?

Regards,

Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”
www.nickols.us

9

The site is down.

···

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us

10

Dag:

I get a message indicating the site is unavailable.

···

Regards,

Fred Nickols

Managing Partner

Distance Consulting LLC

“My Objective is to Help You Achieve Yours”

www.nickols.us