LeonKhaimovich

Hello! Let me introduce myself with a short (P.S. When I started writing I thought it would be shorter) bio that should give an idea about what I am interested in and why.

In 1985 I earned MS in theoretical physics from Vilnius University in Lithuania. At that time my favorite sayings were: "there are only two things worth doing in this world: physics and dancing" and "people socialize when they have nothing better to do." These were happy days which ended when I started to work building math models of disk drives for purposes of designing quality control equipment. Yes, in the former Soviet Union they hired theoreticians to support QA activities.

Two things astonished me after I'd left the world of "physics for its own sake". First, how complex electronic equipment is designed and built with really limited knowledge of mathematics by engineers. Second, almost complete irrelevance of scientific rigor for creating trust into my models. I also felt being mis- and under-utilized. A question "what can I do in this situation" brought me to study role of rationality in collective decision making. A book "Order out of Chaos" by Ilia Prigogine convinced me that synergetics is able to bridge social and exact sciences. I went to study mathematical sociology at the University of Pittsburgh making a big mistake.

Fortunately, it was possible to focus my studies in the area of my interests. In 1999 I completed my dissertation: "Toward a Truly Dynamic Theory of Problem-Solving Group Effectiveness: Cognitive and Emotional Processes during the Root Cause Analysis Performed by a Business Process Re-engineering Team." The thesis is based on a field study revolving around the videotaped re-engineering workshop.

Until 11/31/2001 I was designing and introducing business processes for the Nohau Corporation located in the Silicon Valley. The company is making hardware and software that controls it. Until recently it was growing both with respect to the number of products we have designed and have to support, and employee number. Thus, informal ways of coordinating activities were becoming inadequate. My responsibility was to introduce structured business procedures that still allow technical creativity to flourish.

In my work I periodically run into those who are playing the "Big Game." Quite often that makes me angry and impatient. I look forward to participating in the AYE conference and hope it will help me with improving my interpersonal skills.

Updated: Tuesday, November 13, 2001