Solution of complex problems in the company. Lessons from nature
Mother Nature has
answers for everything. You just have to know how to ask, how to listen and be
humble. Never, in any place, under any circumstance, will man be superior to
nature.
An example to
illustrate. The plants that man uses for food are attacked by different pests.
The aphid or aphid is an insect that causes damage to plants by absorbing and
infecting viruses, which weaken and severely damage these plants. Insecticides,
lethal for aphids and other harmful insects, have side effects that affect
beneficial species and even humans. There are abundant studies and reports on
this subject.
When the natural
principles are understood, the most appropriate is used. The crisópidos
(beneficial insects) eliminate only aphids (terrible plague), never kill
humans. Chrysopids, predators of aphids, do not damage plants and do not attack
man. Nature, to maintain balance, creates protective species that regulate and
control harmful species, at all levels of life. If aphids are not controlled,
the plants eventually disappear; only mushrooms, batteries and viruses would be
present.
Integrated Pest
Management or IPM (promotion of biodiversity in trees, use of physical means of
control, application of biological products, minimization of the use of
authorized phytosanitary products) has allowed the control of pests without
negative side effects in the environment. The biological fight is the best
alternative, by reducing the contamination of phytosanitary chemicals.
In the company,
when you need to create systems, processes, algorithms, to solve common
problems in the company, you use solutions, total, developed or created in the
company or purchased from third parties. Suppose you need to develop a computer
system to control and minimize total costs, with an emphasis on the production
area. Many times correct the problem (kill aphids, control production costs)
but collateral effects (errors, contradictions, inconsistencies) appear in
other areas, which prevents decisions with reliable information on total
issues.
A custom software
project is the "ideal solution" for the requirements of a company; it
can be developed with own resources or compared. In many cases in the market
there is no standard software that is adequate to the needs of the users, there
are inefficiencies in the processes and errors or limitations in the work of
the employees. It is usual that the information is distributed in different
places and with different formats, which prevents a clear and quick vision of
the situation and evolution of the company. The development of a customized
software allows to satisfy the present needs, to foresee the future ones, to
serve all the profiles of the company (managers, administrators, salesmen,
etc.)
System engineers
or programmers know and use the resources to create good algorithms and
efficient programs, but they usually do not know the details and subtleties of
all the operations in the company. There is no programmer that can know the
totality of processes, and, therefore, can not create perfectly linked and
integrated modules. In general, each area is assigned to a programmer, then all
of them integrate the developed parts. The biases, errors, incorrect
interpretations of some of them affect the total system. In the tests it may
seem all right, but in the real operations the inconsistencies arise.
It is not
necessary to create a system from scratch, modules that have a solid and
totally reliable performance in one area of the
company, can be used as a model for others. If there are good tools, you have
to use them. If nature shows us the solution, we must accept it. Innovation
does not necessarily rely on new activities; existing elements can be used
among which there are relationships that improve joint performance.
References
Áfidos - Plagas y Enfermedades
AFIDOS
Insectos
Beneficiosos: Crisopas Verdes
Chrysopidae
Chrysopidae
