The Three Cat model is a metaphor for information management in the act of creation. It may be easily played in a glass bead game with any number of other models, particularly the Seven Stages of the Creative Process.

On the simplest level, the model summarizes the acts of observing reality, forming a concept, and testing that concept by building a model to reveal our understanding. The model is then compared to reality for verification, the concept is adjusted, the model rebuilt, and so on.

Here are the definitions of the three components of the model.

Real Cat: The real cat stands for "objective" reality. Actually, we don't really ever see the real cat. Our senses gather signals from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, fluctuations in air pressure that register on our ears as sound, and the electrochemical signals that result from physically touching an object. Because our information concerning real cat is most incomplete, there's always more to learn.

Concept Cat: As we observe real cat, we create mental models to use as aids in decision making. We learn to associate current phenomenon with past occurrences of similar phenomenon. We make decisions based on projections of past behavior onto the current situation. Lacking any such direct associations, we are forced to invent.

Mechanical Cat: In order to test our concept, we create physical models and compare them to the reality. The artist paints; the engineer builds scale models; the business person turns to planning software and spreadsheets; the writer composes stories.

Now, what about the connections between the three cats? There are two lines that connect any two cats. One line is a squiggle and the other has a triangle in the middle of it. The squiggle is the symbol for a resistor in electronics and refers to the attenuation of information traveling in that direction. So, for instance, the communication of information from Real Cat to Concept Cat is severely attenuated. The triangle is another symbol borrowed from electronics--an amplifier. The information running from Concept Cat back up to Real Cat is amplified. You don't have to be an electrical engineer, however, to understand what's going on. Imagine that you're an artist about to draw a cat. When you look at the cat, do you transfer everything there is to see about the cat into your mental concept? No. In fact, you throw away nearly all of the potential information that you can perceive--99% is a conservative estimate. Instead, you concentrate on the way the back curves or the spacing and shape of the eyes. Even when the painting is done, and even if it's done in a photographic style, you will have only captured a tiny fraction of all that is there to be seen. The point of art--whether its painting or the art of managing an enterprise--is to be aware of what you're choosing to keep, and what you're throwing away. Then the challenge is to shape what's left into a whole that conveys whatever message you wish.

But what about the amplification in the model? Take a look at the amplification line leading from Mechanical Cat back to Real Cat. Imagine that you've drawn a line on your paper that represents the curve of the cat's back. Someone happens to walk by, and glancing at your drawing in progress asks, "what's that?" You explain that the line represents the curve of the cat's back. Your explanation is an amplification of the mechanical drawing you've done, so that it can be properly related to the reality is represents. In business, spreadsheets are accompanied by memos explaining various terms and abbreviations (not to mention the results). All mechanicals--all physical or tangible models require explanation when they are related back to the reality they represent. Sometimes the explanation is built into the culture and remains hidden, other times it must be more clearly stated.

(three cat model cont.)

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