Apr 18, 2021 12:00:00

What is the idea of 'negentropy' that helps to make life smoother?

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Entropy ' was introduced in thermodynamics as an index showing irreversibility under adiabatic conditions, and internal changes in a system without heat inflow and outflow always occur in the direction of increasing entropy (law of increasing entropy). Is explained. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been a movement to apply the law of increasing entropy to organizations and life, and entropy may be brought up in the explanation that 'organizations become more disorderly over time'. Allison A. Kerr-Shelman , a pedagogue at the University of Dayton in the United States, says that thinking about 'negentropy, ' a concept that corresponds to entropy, can improve organizational and life turmoil.

A concept from physics called negentropy could help your life run smoother
https://theconversation.com/a-concept-from-physics-called-negentropy-could-help-your-life-run-smoother-155030

Life is a series of decisions, with everyday choices such as 'picking up your socks off,' 'cleaning your garden,' and 'repairing a broken faucet.' Although less energy is required to deal with each problem, leaving all the problems unattended creates a chaotic situation such as 'the socks you took off are scattered, the garden is rough, and the faucet is broken.' I will end up. It takes a lot of energy to solve all these problems, which reduces the quality of life.

Therefore, Mr. Kerr-Shelman, who studies social systems, thought that by using the concept of negentropy corresponding to entropy, it would be possible to cope with the increasing entropy in life. Negentropy is a term that refers to the fact that entropy is kept low, and it is also used as a physical quantity that reduces entropy. For example, since life is open to the environment, it keeps the entropy in the body low by excreting entropy into the environment through breathing and metabolism, and such an action is called negentropy.

Kerr-Shelman points out that energy can be defined as the ability to work in both physics and social systems, arguing that many schools, businesses, nonprofits, community communities, etc. have energy losses. .. For example, holding a 'meeting to plan the next meeting' or a 'meeting that just sends an email' not only causes a loss of energy for the people involved, but ultimately frustrates them. It causes the employee to leave the job.

Therefore, Kerr-Shelman advocates the construction of a system that limits or reverses energy loss, keeping in mind the idea of negentropy that suppresses the increase in entropy. It is said that improving the situation by properly picking up the socks that have been taken off and eliminating unnecessary meetings will lead to avoiding energy loss in the future.

The 'five steps to succeed in Negentropy' actually developed by Mr. Carr-Shelman with his colleagues are as follows.

◆ 1: Find a place where entropy increases
First, identify where energy loss is occurring in your daily life and social system. 'The kitchen is not well organized and it is difficult to find things' and 'The system for new employees is inadequate and causes confusion' are the parts that cause energy loss.

◆ 2: Identify the loss to be dealt with
Then identify the most annoying or annoying part of the energy loss you find.

◆ 3: Make a plan
Once you have identified what you need to address first, plan ways to reduce or reverse energy loss. Some problems are simple solutions, such as 'picking up socks,' while others are relatively large, such as 'changing the way meetings are held.'

◆ 4: Keep an eye on even after dealing with
Even after putting the problem-solving idea into practice, we should continue to look at energy loss and consider whether the measures worked, how much effort was spent, and whether there are new measures to realize negentropy in the future. That's right.

◆ 5: More than just repair and maintenance
While working to reduce energy loss, you may face the reality that 'no matter how much you reduce the loss, there is a problem with the underlying system and you just can't work smoothly.' In order to apply the idea of Negentropy to the social system, it is important not only to improve small processes but also to grasp the whole picture of things and take measures against energy loss.

'Looking at things through the lens of Negentropy doesn't help improve bad relationships or love jobs you don't like. These are complex issues, but you're in life,' said Kerr-Shelman. Once you start to realize where energy is being lost, it will be easier for you to prioritize and act to improve the social systems around you. '