Discussion: View Thread

Dear Colleagues,

The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following query.
He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations when more of
something yields a worse result than fewer.

One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps the
plant, while giving it too much water kills it.

Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an entire
field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in the same field,
you are less standardized..

Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is
romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time,
it won't be romantic at all.

IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
EMPHASIZED.

He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,

"more-is-lessuals."

I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases, but
I can't recall it.

If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at

<ken.friedman@bi.no>

Thank you.

--

Ken Friedman
Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Design Research Center
Denmark's Design School

+47 06600 Tlf NSM
+47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
+47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat

email: ken.friedman@bi.no

As an economist, I would simply refer to it 'diminishing returns'...
The old chestnut about how many people can swing their hoes to till a
single plot of ground... That's pretty romantic, isn't it? ;)

-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Ken Friedman
Sent: Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:24
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Research request: word search


Dear Colleagues,

The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following
query. He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations
when more of something yields a worse result than fewer.

One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps the
plant, while giving it too much water kills it.

Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an
entire field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in the
same field, you are less standardized..

Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is
romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time, it
won't be romantic at all.

IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
EMPHASIZED.

He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,

"more-is-lessuals."

I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases, but
I can't recall it.

If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at

<ken.friedman@bi.no>

Thank you.

--

Ken Friedman
Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Design Research Center
Denmark's Design School

+47 06600 Tlf NSM
+47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
+47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat

email: ken.friedman@bi.no

How about "overkill"?
Debbie Litvin

-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion on behalf of John Thornton
Sent: Sun 4/3/2005 8:58 AM
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Cc:
Subject: Re: Research request: word search



As an economist, I would simply refer to it 'diminishing returns'...
The old chestnut about how many people can swing their hoes to till a
single plot of ground... That's pretty romantic, isn't it? ;)

-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Ken Friedman
Sent: Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:24
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Research request: word search


Dear Colleagues,

The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following
query. He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations
when more of something yields a worse result than fewer.

One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps the
plant, while giving it too much water kills it.

Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an
entire field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in the
same field, you are less standardized..

Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is
romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time, it
won't be romantic at all.

IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
EMPHASIZED.

He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,

"more-is-lessuals."

I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases, but
I can't recall it.

If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at

<ken.friedman@bi.no>

Thank you.

--

Ken Friedman
Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Design Research Center
Denmark's Design School

+47 06600 Tlf NSM
+47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
+47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat

email: ken.friedman@bi.no

Or too many cooks spoil the broth
Norah Jones
-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Litvin, Deborah
Sent: 03 April 2005 14:30
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: Research request: word search

How about "overkill"?
Debbie Litvin

-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion on behalf
of John Thornton
Sent: Sun 4/3/2005 8:58 AM
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Cc:
Subject: Re: Research request: word search



As an economist, I would simply refer to it 'diminishing
returns'...
The old chestnut about how many people can swing their hoes to
till a
single plot of ground... That's pretty romantic, isn't it?
;)

-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Ken
Friedman
Sent: Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:24
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Research request: word search


Dear Colleagues,

The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the
following
query. He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe
situations
when more of something yields a worse result than fewer.

One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it
helps the
plant, while giving it too much water kills it.

Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard
for an
entire field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards
in the
same field, you are less standardized..

Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance,
it is
romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same
time, it
won't be romantic at all.

IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
EMPHASIZED.

He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,

"more-is-lessuals."

I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such
cases, but
I can't recall it.

If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at

<ken.friedman@bi.no>

Thank you.

--

Ken Friedman
Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Design Research Center
Denmark's Design School

+47 06600 Tlf NSM
+47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
+47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat

email: ken.friedman@bi.no

ODed?
Chris Poulson

>Or too many cooks spoil the broth
>Norah Jones
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Management Education and Development Discussion
>[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Litvin, Deborah
>Sent: 03 April 2005 14:30
>To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
>Subject: Re: Research request: word search
>
>How about "overkill"?
>Debbie Litvin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Management Education and Development Discussion on behalf
>of John Thornton
> Sent: Sun 4/3/2005 8:58 AM
> To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Cc:
> Subject: Re: Research request: word search
>
>
>
> As an economist, I would simply refer to it 'diminishing
>returns'...
> The old chestnut about how many people can swing their hoes to
>till a
> single plot of ground... That's pretty romantic, isn't it?
>;)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Management Education and Development Discussion
> [mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Ken
>Friedman
> Sent: Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:24
> To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Subject: Research request: word search
>
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the
>following
> query. He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe
>situations
> when more of something yields a worse result than fewer.
>
> One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it
>helps the
> plant, while giving it too much water kills it.
>
> Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard
>for an
> entire field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards
>in the
> same field, you are less standardized..
>
> Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance,
>it is
> romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same
>time, it
> won't be romantic at all.
>
> IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
> EMPHASIZED.
>
> He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,
>
> "more-is-lessuals."
>
> I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such
>cases, but
> I can't recall it.
>
> If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at
>
> <ken.friedman@bi.no>
>
> Thank you.
>
> --
>
> Ken Friedman
> Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
> Department of Leadership and Organization
> Norwegian School of Management
>
> Design Research Center
> Denmark's Design School
>
> +47 06600 Tlf NSM
> +47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
> +47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat
>
> email: ken.friedman@bi.no
>

Hi
I circulated a request for ideas to describe "more is lessuals"across the faculty as I couldn't think of a good response Thanks to the creative souls who replied we suggest:

* overkill
* OTT
* Counterproductivity
* 'Over egging the cake' 'overkill' ' OTT -over the top'.
* 'over sufficiency' 'over indulgence' 'excess'.
* Presumably you are seeking a noun rather than a descriptor so backformation might lead to 'Excessments' or possibly 'overages'. This latter has current usage in the context of too much being delivered in response to an order. How about a 'Toomuchless'
* there was the concept a few years ago of a chiasm - it was roughly in the shape of the Greek chi as in statistics and it suggested that we veer between opposite states from the cowardly to the over courageous (or perhaps foolhardy)
* and (perhaps rather sadly), Situation Normal

best wishes
Lynn Martin



ODed?
Chris Poulson
>Or too many cooks spoil the broth
>Norah Jones
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Management Education and Development Discussion
>[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Litvin, Deborah
>Sent: 03 April 2005 14:30
>To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
>Subject: Re: Research request: word search
>
>How about "overkill"?
>Debbie Litvin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Management Education and Development Discussion on behalf
>of John Thornton
> Sent: Sun 4/3/2005 8:58 AM
> To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Cc:
> Subject: Re: Research request: word search
>
>
>
> As an economist, I would simply refer to it 'diminishing
>returns'...
> The old chestnut about how many people can swing their hoes to
>till a
> single plot of ground... That's pretty romantic, isn't it?
>;)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Management Education and Development Discussion
> [mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Ken
>Friedman
> Sent: Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:24
> To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Subject: Research request: word search
>
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the
>following
> query. He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe
>situations
> when more of something yields a worse result than fewer.
>
> One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it
>helps the
> plant, while giving it too much water kills it.
>
> Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard
>for an
> entire field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards
>in the
> same field, you are less standardized..
>
> Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance,
>it is
> romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same
>time, it
> won't be romantic at all.
>
> IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
> EMPHASIZED.
>
> He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,
>
> "more-is-lessuals."
>
> I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such
>cases, but
> I can't recall it.
>
> If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at
>
> <ken.friedman@bi.no>
>
> Thank you.
>
> --
>
> Ken Friedman
> Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
> Department of Leadership and Organization
> Norwegian School of Management
>
> Design Research Center
> Denmark's Design School
>
> +47 06600 Tlf NSM
> +47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
> +47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat
>
> email: ken.friedman@bi.no

Or maybe "surfeit," as in "a surfeit of grandchildren" - when you can't
keep track of them all.

the example of overwatering suggests, in a mathematical response, a
change in the slope of the response curve. A parabolic response, as
going over a hill. But who wants to describe it entire, and in
dullness, in a math equation, when we can work on words for it? :)

Cheers,
Jay

Ken Friedman wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following query.
> He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations when more of
> something yields a worse result than fewer.
>
> One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps the
> plant, while giving it too much water kills it.
>
> Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an
> entire
> field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in the same
> field,
> you are less standardized..
>
> Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is
> romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time,
> it won't be romantic at all.
>
> IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
> EMPHASIZED.
>
> He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,
>
> "more-is-lessuals."
>
> I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases, but
> I can't recall it.
>
> If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at
>
> <ken.friedman@bi.no>
>
> Thank you.
>
> --
>
> Ken Friedman
> Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
> Department of Leadership and Organization
> Norwegian School of Management
>
> Design Research Center
> Denmark's Design School
>
> +47 06600 Tlf NSM
> +47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
> +47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat
>
> email: ken.friedman@bi.no
>
>

--
Jay Warner
Principal Scientist
Warner Consulting, Inc.
4444 North Green Bay Road
Racine, WI 53404-1216
USA

Ph: (262) 634-9100
FAX: (262) 681-1133
email: quality@a2q.com
web: http://www.a2q.com

The A2Q Method (tm) -- What do you want to improve today?

Colleagues,

Seems to me the simple word is "over".
Overwatered, overcooked, overthought, overworked. Your dictionary is
full of examples.

What about... overdone?

As a noun for the class of instantiations.... the overdones.

Best to all,

Gary

Change agent skills
are as important to individual success
as are professional discipline skills.

Gary Lundquist
303-840-9929 GaryL@Market-Engineering.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Jay Warner
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 7:58 PM
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: Research request: word search


Or maybe "surfeit," as in "a surfeit of grandchildren" - when you can't
keep track of them all.

the example of overwatering suggests, in a mathematical response, a
change in the slope of the response curve. A parabolic response, as
going over a hill. But who wants to describe it entire, and in
dullness, in a math equation, when we can work on words for it? :)

Cheers,
Jay

Ken Friedman wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following query.
> He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations when more of
> something yields a worse result than fewer.
>
> One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps the
> plant, while giving it too much water kills it.
>
> Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an
> entire
> field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in the same
> field,
> you are less standardized..
>
> Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is
> romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time,
> it won't be romantic at all.
>
> IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
> EMPHASIZED.
>
> He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,
>
> "more-is-lessuals."
>
> I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases, but
> I can't recall it.
>
> If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at
>
> <ken.friedman@bi.no>
>
> Thank you.
>
> --
>
> Ken Friedman
> Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
> Department of Leadership and Organization
> Norwegian School of Management
>
> Design Research Center
> Denmark's Design School
>
> +47 06600 Tlf NSM
> +47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
> +47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat
>
> email: ken.friedman@bi.no
>
>

--
Jay Warner
Principal Scientist
Warner Consulting, Inc.
4444 North Green Bay Road
Racine, WI 53404-1216
USA

Ph: (262) 634-9100
FAX: (262) 681-1133
email: quality@a2q.com
web: http://www.a2q.com

The A2Q Method (tm) -- What do you want to improve today?

Ken,

Irving Janis used the term "groupthink" to describe a unique circumstance
wherein more of something (group cohesion, which is normally considered to
be a good thing) yields a worse result (decreases in performance), then he
went on to talk about observable "symptoms" that enable us to know if
"groupthink" is occurring. Perhaps we need something like that.

Larry Pate

Redondo Beach, California



Ken Friedman wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,

>

> The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following

> query. He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations

> when more of something yields a worse result than fewer.

>

> One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps

> the plant, while giving it too much water kills it.

>

> Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an

> entire field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in

> the same field,

> you are less standardized..

>

> Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is

> romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time,

> it won't be romantic at all.

>

> IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS EMPHASIZED.

>

> He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,

>

> "more-is-lessuals."

>

> I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases,

> but I can't recall it.

>

> If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at

>

> <ken.friedman@bi.no>

>

> Thank you.

>

> --

>

> Ken Friedman

> Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design

> Department of Leadership and Organization

> Norwegian School of Management

>

> Design Research Center

> Denmark's Design School

>

> +47 06600 Tlf NSM

> +47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office

> +47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat

>

> email: ken.friedman@bi.no

From: Nigel phillinp@lsbu.ac.uk

Hi Ken,

King John of England, the bad guy in Robin Hood, died of a surfeit of
peaches.

My Concise Oxford Dictionary gives:

Surfeit n 1 an excess. 2 archaic an illness caused or regarded as being
caused by excessive eating or drinking.

v (surfeited, surfeiting) 1 cause to be wearied of something through
excess. 2 archaic overeat.

A surfeit of water
A surfeit of standards
A surfeit of romances
The lecturer surfeited his students with facts :)


Nigel
phillinp@lsbu.ac.uk

-----Original Message-----

Dear Colleagues,

The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following
query.
He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations when more
of
something yields a worse result than fewer.

One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps the
plant, while giving it too much water kills it.

Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an
entire
field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in the same
field,
you are less standardized..

Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is
romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time,
it won't be romantic at all.

IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
EMPHASIZED.

He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,

"more-is-lessuals."

I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases, but
I can't recall it.

If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at

<ken.friedman@bi.no>

Thank you.

--

Ken Friedman
Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Design Research Center
Denmark's Design School

+47 06600 Tlf NSM
+47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
+47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat

email: ken.friedman@bi.no

From: Tom Bryant [mailto:Tom.Bryant@nicholls.edu]

How about "superfluity"?

Tom.


Prof. Thomas A. Bryant, Ph.D.
The Bollinger Family Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship
Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, LA 70310, USA
Tel: (985) 448-4179; e-mail: tom.bryant@nicholls.edu

------------------------
From: Nigel phillinp@lsbu.ac.uk

Hi Ken,

King John of England, the bad guy in Robin Hood, died of a surfeit of
peaches.

My Concise Oxford Dictionary gives:

Surfeit n 1 an excess. 2 archaic an illness caused or regarded as being
caused by excessive eating or drinking.

v (surfeited, surfeiting) 1 cause to be wearied of something through
excess. 2 archaic overeat.

A surfeit of water
A surfeit of standards
A surfeit of romances
The lecturer surfeited his students with facts :)


Nigel
phillinp@lsbu.ac.uk

-----Original Message-----

Dear Colleagues,

The Danish designer and author Per Mollerup wrote me the following
query.
He seeks a word for a specific concept to describe situations when more
of
something yields a worse result than fewer.

One example he gives is when you water a plant just enough, it helps the
plant, while giving it too much water kills it.

Standards are another case in point. If you have one standard for an
entire
field, you are standardized. If you have twenty standards in the same
field,
you are less standardized..

Per also gives the example of romance. If you have one romance, it is
romantic. If you have one hundred romances going on at the same time,
it won't be romantic at all.

IF YOU EMPHASIZE EVERY WORD ON THE PAGE, NOTHING IS
EMPHASIZED.

He suggests naming these phenomena with a neologism,

"more-is-lessuals."

I have the sense that a word may already exist to cover such cases, but
I can't recall it.

If anyone knows of such a word, I will welcome a note at

<ken.friedman@bi.no>

Thank you.

--

Ken Friedman
Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Design Research Center
Denmark's Design School

+47 06600 Tlf NSM
+47 67.55.73.23 Tlf Office
+47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat

email: ken.friedman@bi.no