凡物皆賦智AI乎？
近世啟電視，輒聞士人衣冠楚楚，言其新製洗衣機，以人工智慧為力。人工智慧！吾憶昔日，洗衣機唯需水、皂、電而已。今竟有腦乎？將自理吾襪乎？吾甚疑之。
凡物皆然，非耶？廣告充斥「智」事。新車有智，助爾泊車；恆溫器有智，知爾暖時；縱至牙刷，亦有智，責爾刷牙不善。若謂吾輩皆愚鈍，不能自理簡事。
憶昔日，唯言物之所能。此車引擎良善，此皂潔淨。簡而明。今則皆言「尖端智算」、「智技無縫」。聞之似甚奇，然吾吐司，因烤箱有智而味更佳乎？吾未覺也。
此令吾憶昔日，凡物皆言「新而益善」。購舊物，異匣裝之，輒冠以「新而益善」，若世間奇珍。此「智」事，亦似如是，新詞以掩凡物之常也。
然此智若有誤，將若何？鄰人「智」電視，惡其觀視之習，輒易頻道。此物「智」有瑕疵，誰將修之？將需智工乎？皆似徒增煩擾。
或吾已老矣。然吾愛物之本質，鏟即鏟，器即器，各司其職，無需數腦。此廣告之智，令人疑物之本質已衰，故以技語粉飾之。但求物之實用，智則免之，謝矣。
You can't switch on the television these days without some fella in a crisp shirt telling you how their new washing machine is now powered by artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence! Last time I checked, my washing machine just needed water, soap, and to be plugged in. Now it's got a brain? What's it going to do, start sorting my socks by itself? I doubt it.
It's the same with everything, isn't it? The advertisements are crawling with this 'AI' business. Your new car has AI to help you park, your thermostat has AI to figure out when you like the heating on, even your toothbrush probably has AI to tell you you're not brushing properly. You'd think we were all a bunch of nitwits who can't manage simple tasks anymore.
Remember when they used to just tell you what something did? This car has a good engine, this soap gets you clean. Simple. Now, it's all about the 'cutting-edge AI algorithms' and the 'seamless integration of intelligent technology'. Sounds impressive, I suppose, but does my toast taste any better because the toaster has AI? I haven't noticed.
It reminds me a bit of when everything was 'new and improved'. You'd buy the same old product in a different box, and they'd slap 'new and improved' on it like it was the eighth wonder of the world. This AI thing feels a bit like that, a new buzzword to make the ordinary sound extraordinary.
And what happens when this AI goes wrong? My neighbour's 'smart' television decided it didn't like his viewing habits and kept changing the channel. Who's going to fix these things when their 'intelligence' has a glitch? Will we need AI mechanics now? It all sounds like more trouble than it's worth.
Maybe I'm just getting old. But I liked things better when a spade was just a spade, and my appliances just did what they were supposed to without needing a digital brain. All this AI in advertising makes you wonder if the products themselves aren't all that impressive anymore, so they have to dress them up with a bit of technological mumbo-jumbo. Just give me something that works, and leave the artificial intelligence out of it, thank you very much.
Here are some top MBA programs that emphasize Systems Thinking, TOC, Lean, and holistic business management. These programs integrate cross-functional learning, feedback loops, and system optimization, making them ideal for leaders who want to manage complexity rather than just optimize isolated functions.
✅ Why?
📌 Relevant Courses & Research Centers:
💡 Best for: Those who want to integrate operations, supply chains, and strategy using systemic methodologies.
✅ Why?
📌 Relevant Courses & Research Centers:
💡 Best for: Leaders who want to integrate strategy, technology, and innovation with a systems perspective.
✅ Why?
📌 Relevant Courses & Research Centers:
💡 Best for: Those who want hands-on experience improving business systems in operations, logistics, and supply chains.
✅ Why?
📌 Relevant Courses & Research Centers:
💡 Best for: Those looking for a global perspective on business ecosystems and systems thinking in leadership.
✅ Why?
📌 Relevant Courses & Research Centers:
💡 Best for: Leaders who want to integrate data, AI, and systems thinking into operations & strategy.
✅ Why?
📌 Relevant Courses & Research Centers:
💡 Best for: Those who want a strong focus on business system optimization, engineering approaches, and practical problem-solving.
✅ Why?
📌 Relevant Courses & Research Centers:
💡 Best for: Those looking for a deep dive into system modeling, complexity, and adaptive business strategies.
🔹 Want an engineering-driven approach? → MIT, Carnegie Mellon, ASU
🔹 Want a global systems view? → INSEAD, Warwick
🔹 Want real-world hands-on TOC & Lean experience? → Michigan (Ross), Arizona State
🔹 Want strategy & ecosystem thinking? → Stanford, INSEAD
If we were to redesign an MBA program to fully embrace business as a system, it would need to:
✅ Business is a system of interdependent processes, not a collection of independent departments.
✅ Decisions must optimize the whole system, not just individual parts.
✅ Continuous learning, feedback loops, and systemic change drive long-term success.
The first year builds core knowledge while ensuring every course connects to the idea of business as a system.
1️⃣ Introduction to Systems Thinking in Business
2️⃣ Decision Science & Complex Problem-Solving
3️⃣ The Economics of Flow: Value Creation in Business Systems
4️⃣ Operations & Supply Chain as a System
5️⃣ Finance Beyond Cost-Cutting: Throughput Accounting & Long-Term Value
6️⃣ Customers as a System: Marketing, Sales, and Customer Flow
7️⃣ People Systems: Leadership, Culture, and Learning Organizations
8️⃣ Beyond Bureaucracy: Agile, Holacracy, and Adaptive Business Models
The second year shifts toward application, requiring students to work in teams on real-world business challenges.
9️⃣ Strategy as a System: The Role of Ecosystems, Networks, and Platforms
🔟 Resilience, Risk, and Crisis Management as a System
1️⃣1️⃣ The Future of Work: AI, Automation, and Systemic Change
1️⃣2️⃣ Sustainability as a System: People, Planet, and Profit
✅ No isolated courses. Everything is interconnected.
✅ Every course ties back to systems thinking and flow.
✅ Emphasis on real-world applications, not just theory.
✅ Uses TOC, Lean, Deming, and Systems Thinking methodologies.
✅ Prepares leaders to manage complexity, not just optimize parts.
🚀 This MBA would create leaders who understand how businesses truly function—as interconnected, adaptive systems.
An MBA curriculum in the USA is typically structured around different functional areas of business, and whether a program treats business as a system or as disconnected parts depends on the specific course and teaching approach.
Some courses and frameworks naturally emphasize interdependencies and system-wide thinking, while others focus on optimizing individual components without much regard for the whole. Let’s break it down:
These courses or concepts emphasize interdependencies, feedback loops, and holistic thinking, aligning with TOC, Lean, and Deming principles.
💡 Look for MBAs that include "ecosystem strategy" and stakeholder collaboration rather than just competitive strategy.
💡 Look for MBAs that emphasize "Supply Chain as a Competitive Advantage" rather than just cost-cutting.
💡 Look for MBAs that include "complexity theory" and organizational systems instead of just leadership frameworks.
💡 Look for MBAs that teach "business model ecosystems" instead of just business plans.
These courses tend to optimize individual functions rather than seeing business holistically.
💡 Look for MBAs that include "Strategic Cost Management" rather than just GAAP-based accounting.
💡 Look for MBAs that include "Sustainable Finance" and stakeholder-driven financial models.
💡 Look for MBAs that teach "customer-centric business models" rather than just promotions.
✅ Courses That Teach Business as a System:
❌ Courses That Often Treat Business as Parts (Non-Systemic):
💡 If you're choosing an MBA, look for programs that emphasize "cross-functional integration" and "business as a system" rather than just optimizing individual functions.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are often marketed as systemic solutions, but in practice, whether they truly function as systems depends on how they are designed, implemented, and used.
In theory, ERP systems are designed to integrate business functions into a single, interdependent system.
🔹 Example of ERP Working as a System:
In practice, many ERP implementations fail to function as true systems because:
🔹 Example of ERP Failing as a System:
💡 TOC Advice: Use ERP only to enhance constraint-focused improvements, not as a one-size-fits-all solution.
💡 Lean Advice: Use ERP to support pull-based flow, not rigid scheduling.
💡 Deming Advice: ERP should enhance learning and improvement, not enforce rigid rules.
✅ ERP can be systemic if:
❌ ERP fails as a system if:
💡 Final Thought:
ERP can be a system or a non-system, depending on how it is applied. The key is to align ERP with systemic thinking principles like TOC, Lean, and Deming, rather than treating it as a magic fix.
These philosophies recognize interdependencies, feedback loops, and the need to optimize the whole rather than individual parts.
These philosophies tend to focus on individual components, short-term efficiency, or competition, sometimes at the expense of system-wide performance.
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