The Discipline of Organizing: Professional Edition, 3rd Edition

3.5. Resources over Time

Problems of “what is the resource?” and “how do we identify it?” are complex and often require ongoing work to ensure they are properly answered as the content and context of an organizing system evolves. As a result, we might need to know how a resource does or does not change over time (its persistence), whether its state and content come into play at a specified point in time (its effectivity), whether the resource is what it is said to be (its authenticity), and sometimes who has certified its authenticity over time (its provenance).

Figure 3.6. Resources over Time.

Four considerations that arise with respect to the maintenance of resources over time are their persistence, provenance, authenticity, and effectivity.

3.5.1. Persistence

The Great Sphinx at Giza

The Great Sphinx has persisted for over four thousand years. It has survived acts of vandalism, target practice by Napoleon’s artillery, shoulder-deep burial in desert sandstorms, and eventual excavation in the early 20th century. Its origin and that of the name “Sphinx” are debated among scholars, yet both are recognized worldwide as a persistent meme in our collective consciousness. There is but one Great Sphinx at Giza, and it is expected to persist until the end of time, or thereabout. ...