Roles and Role Performers
The concept of "role" was originally used to distinguish a person from their actions (role-based behavior). Now, however, we talk about agents[1] with intentions—that is, not necessarily just people, but also inanimate physical objects. There are many agents and objects, but far fewer roles.
Certain concepts are associated with agents—such as dissatisfaction, intentions, qualifications, and so on—while other concepts are linked to the roles that agents play, such as method, subjects of interest, preferences, and others. But we can also say that the "role" of a hammer can be performed by a "stone." There are some specific features: agents have certain intentions, so they must decide for themselves to take on a role[2], whereas a stone is only "assigned" a role by some agent. From here on, we will mainly consider the more complex case where the performer of a role is an agent[3].
Although all people and other agents are different, most actions are similar to each other, so they can be described and formalized as a method. Moreover, these actions can be improved and, most importantly, others can be taught to perform them. For example, all surgeons are taught the same actions. In some cases, the role of surgeon is already performed not by a person, but by artificial intelligence.
An ordinary person in a company rarely uses the theatrical metaphor. Most people simply see their colleagues as performers, knowing them by their first and last names. But a system constructor, in addition, understands the roles that each team member plays. This is an important system skill (technique) that should become a habit for you. Read the dialogue shown in the illustration[4].
In a project, you should be able to see both the project roles and the names of the performers. Often, the same roles can be performed by several people, and one person can perform several roles. While this doesn't happen often, the same person may play certain roles in one project and different roles in another. In each role, the person acts according to a specific method.
A person may not even realize they are acting according to a method if they have not consciously studied it at university[5]. In many teams, you can always find self-taught individuals[6]. But there are few good self-taught individuals; there are far more talented or ordinary people who have managed to develop their abilities through conscious study of methods and the transdisciplinary intellect stack.
A performer of a role is characterized by their qualification in a particular mastery. For example, how good a person is as a surgeon. This qualification depends, at a minimum, on how up-to-date the theory (discipline) they have studied is, and the number of practical hours they have spent working in the role. Therefore, both modern theory and practical activity using the best technologies (tools) are necessary.
Agents can be people or other entities that have intentions, strategies, and plans to achieve their goals. For example, an organization of people with their tools and computers, and even some other entities we may not yet know about. They can also play different roles in various projects and interact with other agents. ↩︎
Or do so through interaction with another agent—that is, through a leadership method, another agent assigns them a role. ↩︎
When it comes to a physical inanimate object (a non-agent), this is standard engineering. ↩︎
It is taken from the textbook "Systems Thinking." ↩︎
It is unlikely that a surgeon could work in their specialty without consciously studying the theory and practice at university, but many other roles and methods are not studied so deliberately. ↩︎
Most actions in life are performed without understanding the concept of "method." For example, many people keep personal financial records or swim, but have never specifically learned how. However, in professional activities, it is impossible to become a professional without consciously studying modern methods. And without intelligence, it is impossible to navigate the many applied methods and master them faster than others. ↩︎