Der Mensch ist geneigt, das Phänomen der Schwarmintelligenz positiv zu betrachten: Validierung von Startups, gute Anlageentscheidungen treffen usw. Es geht aber auch anders. Zumindest darf man fragen, ob Schwarmintelligenz zur Fortsetzung der Geschäftspolitik mit eigenen Mitteln instrumentalisiert werden kann. Auf diesem Gebiet, das mit Komplexität zu tun hat, forscht James B. Glattfelder.
Inwiefern ist ein
vernetztes System — etwa ein Vogelschwarm — mehr, als die Summe seiner
Teile? Die Komplexitätstheorie kann tatsächlich viel darüber aussagen, wie
die Wirtschaft funktioniert. Glattfelder präsentiert eine bahnbrechende Studie
darüber, wie sich Kontrolle durch die Weltwirtschaft zieht, und wie
Machtkonzentration in den Händen überraschend Weniger uns alle gefährdet. (Auf
der TEDxZurich gefilmt.)
Bio:
First a researcher at a Swiss hedge fund and then a
physicist, James B. Glattfelder found himself amazed by the level of understanding
we have in regards to the physical world and universe around us. He wondered:
how can we move toward a similar understanding of human society?
This question led him to the study of complex systems,
a subject he now holds a Ph.D in from the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology. Glattfelder is co-head of quantitative research at Olsen Ltd in
Zurich, an FX investment manager focusing on market-stabilizing algorithms. In
2011, he co-authored the study “The Network of
Global Corporate Control,” which went viral in the
international media and sparked many controversial discussions. The study
looked at the architecture of ownership across the globe, and computed a level
of control exerted by each international player. The study revealed that 75% of
all the players in the global economy are part of a highly interconnected core
which, because of the high levels of overlap, leaves the economy vulnerable. In his free time, Glattfelder enjoys snowboarding,
rock climbing, surfing and listening to electronic music.
"As protests against financial power sweep the
world this week, science may have confirmed the protesters' worst fears. An
analysis of the relationships between 43,000 transnational corporations has
identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with
disproportionate power over the global economy ... The study, by a trio of
complex systems theorists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in
Zurich, is the first to go beyond ideology to empirically identify such a
network of power."
