Colett-Haig rule

Kelleys Black-box Law

The “Kelley’s Black Box Law” was first proposed by Barry P. O’Keefe and William H. Kelley in 1990. The law is described as a set of three distinct principles governing the measurement of human performance in organizations. According to their paper, these principles represent a coherent set of hypotheses that should be tested in order to better inform organizational decision-making. In brief, the three principles (also known as Kelley’s Paradox) are:

First- The paradox of causality: The ability to control an outcome is determined by the extent to which it can be directly managed, not what could be indirectly managed.

Second- Measurement of Human Performance should be Limited: measurements should focus on benefits rather than on costs, and should be limited to the things that are either directly controllable, or that can be strongly influenced by managerial actions.

Third – Increase systemic Efficiency and Flexibility: measurements should seek to provide increased systemic efficiency, and offer flexibility to allow management to respond to changing conditions.

Kelley’s Black-box Law has had an effect on organizational decision-making and performance assessment in many companies across a variety of industries. One example is the banking industry, which has increasingly begun to focus their performance evaluations on customer satisfaction and loyalty, instead of simply profits and cost-cutting measures. By doing so, banks have become better equipped to meet customer needs and expectations. Additionally, many companies have utilized the principles of Kelley’s Black Box Law to help streamline their processes, promote leaner development and increase value for their customers.

In essence, Kelley’s Black Box Law can be summed up as a set of principles which seek to limit measurements and increase systemic efficiency in order to maximize the success of an organization. The principles are general in nature and can be applied to any situation where performance is being evaluated, in both the public and private sections. As the nature of work and organizations change, so too do the principles of Kelley’s Black Box Law, requiring organizations to stay abreast of the changing landscape in order to remain competitive.

Coley–Black Rule, also known as Cooleys Rule, is a rule which proposes that the degree of openness in the political system of a nation is inversely proportional to the extent of social mobilization by the people. This means that if citizens are more strongly mobilized and take part in the political process, then their government will be more closed and authoritarian, while if citizens are not mobilized, the government will be more open and tolerant.

Cooleys Rule was popularized by the British sociologist Robert Cooley in his book The Politics of Authority (1978). He argued that increased popular mobilization and political participation leads to a decrease in government openness. Cooley believed that the nature of a governments response to an increase in the active participation of citizens is the key indicator of a political system.

In defending the rule, Cooley argued that a free and open system of government requires a degree of order and obedience from its citizens. Such an order is only possible when citizens are mobilized and have a higher level of political participation. As citizens increase their mobilizaticonthe number of demands go up as well, and the government must been closed and more authoritarian in order to address these demands.

Cooleys Rule is similar to the political theories of Max Weber and Karl Marx, though not as comprehensive. Unlike Weber, who argued that states will move towards a more centralized form of government, Cooleys Rule suggests that government openness is an indicator of the level of political mobilization by citizens. According to Marx, class division and the emergence of an elite group is a form of social unrest and has a direct bearing on the stability of the state. Cooleys Rule differs from Marx by suggesting that the level of mobilization by citizens is the more accurate indicator of a countrys political situation.

Cooleys Rule is still relevant today, as it suggests that governments can be either open or closed depending on the level of civic engagement. With increased political participation by citizens, government openness and tolerance can be achieved as well. The rule can serve as a guide for citizens as they fight for their rights, as it reinforces that when individuals come together and take part in the political process, they can ultimately bring about social change.