Article on utility of theory? LO27697

From: Stephen Wehrenberg (wstephen@erols.com)
Date: 01/21/02


Replying to LO27676 --

At,

As usual, we agree in the broadest sense, and you have added a dimension
to the original issue. Related to your comment here:

"One basic problem of every theory is to modify it continually to get a
better match with its practice through its time span. The reason why there
is a mismatch between theory and practice is that the theory is a product
of human imagination. The theory is a creation 'inside-world-of-mind'
whereas the practice involves primarily activities
'outside-world-of-mind'. Many people detest theories because they judge
the continual modification of theories as futile excercises."

When I'm feeling particularly cynical, I would add that many managers are
usually looking for the '"holy grail," that single "solution " that would
result in a once-and-for-all resolution to the myriad problems they face
daily. Any continuously changing process, such as the continual updating
of ones mental models (required to keep theory in line with experienced
reality) smacks of a continuopus problem, and may be discarded for that
reason alone. I frequently encounter managers who seem hell bent to find
"the solution" that will make their challenges disappear and their
problems stay solved forever.

My experience tells me that the only place this would work would be in an
absolutely stable environment ... which I've never seen. So perhaps the
discomfort with theory is caused by the inescapable fact that that, as
hard as we may try, and a fervently as we may wish it, we will never
reduce all the variables in our lives to constants.

Thank goodness. How dull that would be.

With regard to your comments about authentic learning, though I haven't
put much thought to it, I suspect that one truly learns something by
experience (at some level--like your concept of authenticity?) ... and to
memorize the existing theory is just to learn about the thing, not to
learn the thing itself.

Steve

Stephen B. Wehrenberg, Ph.D.
Director, Future Force 21 and Human Resources Capability
Development, US Coast Guard (202)267-0624
Organizational Sciences, The George Washington University
wstephen@erols.com

Telling a story creates a coherent whole from the parts. The emergent
property of a story is meaning--in context. Stories convert mere facts
and opinions into understanding.

-- 

Stephen Wehrenberg <wstephen@erols.com>

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