democracy or constitutional state? LO27519

From: Winfried und Kirstin Dressler (KiWiDressler@t-online.de)
Date: 11/06/01


Replying to LO27481 --

>How do we see the structure in a learning organization in respect to
>democratic principles (protection to the weakest members) and in respect
>to constitutional principles (laws and rules)?

Dear Leo,

was General Electric under Jack Welch a learning organization? It was a
constitutional state (clear laws and rules) but no protection to the
weakest members. In fact one could call "No protection to the weakest
members" one of the founding rules. As a christian I am horrified by this
rule, on the other hand beliefs need to be questioned, they may be rotely
learned.

There is an argument, which I am chewing on, but which I cannot simply
spit out, so I would be grateful for some help in chewing ;-):

What if "weakness" is not an attribute of the person but an expression of
misfit of member (system) and organization (surrounding). Then by
protecting the "weak member" this member becomes the victim of a
surrounding denying the misfit and attributing the weakness to the member
alone, thus stablizing the weakness as a role, which may act like a
doublebind (together with all sorts of "help" to improve) to this poor
member. No protection would respect the self responsibility of the member
as a person and allow for a new attempt of his/her "strength matching"
(thanks for this Don) in another context.

What do you think?

Liebe Gruesse,
Winfried

-- 

KiWiDressler@t-online.de (Winfried und Kirstin Dressler)

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