Evaluating OL, OL definition across cultures LO26225

From: Don Dwiggins (d.l.dwiggins@computer.org)
Date: 02/26/01


Replying to LO26181 --

Terje, Sajeela, many thanks for watering my seeds; perhaps we'll see
something grow to feed the soul...

Sajeela:
> Rich beyond a shadow of doubt! I would LOVE to hear from many cultures in
> this way!!! I am starving for other perspectives besides essentially
> traditional Euro-Western conditioned ones, which seem to dominate this
> list-serve.

While the perspectives on the list are not entirely monochromatic (I've
particularly enjoyed Ray Harrell's contributions in this regard), I'll
give a hearty "amen" to the sentiment. I find no fault in any contributor
for speaking from his/her heart and culture, but I would love to see an
enriching inter-cultural (and possibly trans-cultural) dialogue here.

Sajeela offers:
> A Wise One, a veritable wonder of an age, taught their disciples from a
> seemingly inexhaustable store of wisdom. The Wise One attributed their
> knowledge to a thick tome stored in a place of honour in their room.

> No one was allowed to open this volume.

> When the Wise One died, the closest disciples ran to the book, anxious to
> read what it contained. They were surprised, confused and disappointed
> when they found writing on only one page!

> they became still more bewildered when they tried to pentrate the meaning
> of the wors which met their eyes"

> "When you realize the difference between the container and the content,
> you will have knowledge"

What a wonderful counterpoint to Denham's and Mark's "confessions" on
Knowledge Management!

Sajeela:
> As I understand Arab culture, there is a completely different orientation
> to time then Euro-western culture; a poly-temporal orientation, if you
> will. Arab culture has a natural attrition for the collective, I believe,
> which corresponds to an understandimg of poly-temporality. For example:
> one does not make discrete appointments off in a room alone somewhere, but
> rather, allows many people to come and go in a conversation; to
> particpate. Life is a very collective process. Therefore the concept of
> team comes more naturally perhaps in a different "brand name" of "family"
> or "tribe", but none-the-less collective and therefore team-like.

This is excellent stuff. I see two themes here: a different view of time,
and a different view of the relation of individual to collective. In
particular, I'd definitely like to hear more about the Arab "poly-temporal
orientation", because it seems crucial to me for a LO to have a rich
picture of time.

(Oddly enough, while we seem to be in an abstract, speculative place, I
find these two themes constantly staring at me when looking at individual
or organizational dysfunctions.

Change agents, try this: when looking at a situation in impasse, or an
organizational Gordian knot, ask yourself:
- What is the "temporal structure" of the situation, in your view and that
  of the other participants? Given the time frame in which the situation
  came to be, what's the appropriate time frame over which a solution should
  be considered?
- What relationships between individuals and organizations must be preserved
  in any solution? Which ones must be changed?
Of course, if the above is trivial, or entirely off-base, let me know.)

Terje:
> I would love to do research on this, but this one I would consider for my
> Phd, not my masters. Classical Arabic literature, which would be very
> important in this topic in order to avoid mere imported ideas, is rather
> enormous. I wouldn't even know where to begin to cover such a topic at
> this moment. Actually it wouldn't just be a Phd topic, it would be a
> profession!

A journey of a thousand miles... Actually, you have begun. I'd encourage
you to continue, without trying to present an organized, complete whole.
Just offer your perspective on single topics in individual contributions,
as long or short as seems appropriate at the time. You might be surprised
at how far you (we) get, and how much ground you (we) cover.

Warm regards,

-- 

Dwig d.l.dwiggins@computer.org Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. -- Reinhold Niebuhr

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