In response to the call for comments from alumni about
the Subject line, and to respond to this "comment"
e-mail address; this Task Force needs to meet and
consider the Game Theory analysts at the Business
School and in the various Math Depts. The proximate
cause of why minorities and women and others with
differences struggle especially later in their careers
is because they run into mature coalitionally stable
payoff configurations. It is taught at Harvard that
this is a naturally occurring sociological phenomenon.
It is commonly agreed upon in the field that
coalitions stick around until an outside force of
greater strength has a reason to bust them up. The
typical scenario covered is managers that do unhealthy
things in companies and circle the wagons to keep it
going even if it is not in the best interest of the
overall enterprise. If you want to fix this situation
at Harvard it is my personal opinion that you need to
ask these questions. (1) Do we have unhealthy
coalitions in our ranks that make it difficult for
individual women and minorities and others with
differences to achieve using their work product alone
as a merit badge? (2) Can we, or should we encourage
coalitions favorable to women and minorities and others
with differences and their respective promotions to
allow Game Theory "dummies" a chance to be relevant?
(3) Do Game Theory models fit the behavior of the
faculty and the externalities we are seeing? (4) What
are you going to do if you assess that faculty
promotion is based upon "imperfect" information for
the participants; which would imply in such a scenario
that secrets matter? [The opinions expressed are my
own. By "others with differences" I'd like that to
mean let's not make this discussion a polarizing one
having to do with gender and ethnicity alone; the
principles learned could apply to many other
differences and we should try to find a way to make
what is studied look for a general solution that would
be equitable to everyone.]
Regards.
Perry
* * *
Perry Gregg
VP Communications, Board of Directors
Harvard Club of San Francisco
Nob Hill
800 Powell Street
San Francisco, California 94108
bengt@post.harvard.edu
communications@harvardclubsf.org
http://harvardclubsf.org