Responding to At de Lange in LO27719 --
Earlier, in LO27593, I wrote:
> >One thing seems certain: if those at the top of our
> >large corporations are allowed to continue operating
> >in an essentially unchecked mode, particularly if they
> >are aided and abetted by accountants, auditors and
> >consultants, any pain will be felt by the little folks, not
> >the big wigs.
At de Lange replies:
>These are wise words. Let us follow them up.
>
>What is the opposite of an "essentially unchecked mode"? Can it be
>"accountants, auditors and consultants" doing their job with honesty and
>integrity? I do not think this is enough because they interact with the
>"big wigs" while seldom, if ever with the "little folk".
I agree, At. But what if the "little folks" had the right to have an
independent audit conducted? What if the little folks had the right to
elect at least one and perhaps two of the company's directors? What if
the auditors worked not for the company but the state? There are lots of
possibilities for beefing up the checks and balances without relying on
anyone's innate honesty and integrity.
>Should we seek wholeness so that the "little folk" also share in the
>meaning of the check reports, then they will have to learn the meaning of
>such reports. The best way to do this is to transform the company in a
>Learning Organisation (LO).
If you haven't seen it, a book titled Open Book Management makes an
excellent start in this direction.
>However, I suspect that once the company has emerged into a LO, much less
>such checking will happen. The LO would know what to avoid the bad and how
>to avoid it. Those who might try shady deals, will be much more careful
>because learners will recognise a shady deal much easier.
That's speculative, At, and I'm much too cynical to simply nod in
agreement but I certainly won't quarrel with it.
Regards,
Fred Nickols
nickols@att.net
"Assistance at A Distance"
http://home.att.net/~nickols/articles.htm
--Fred Nickols <nickols@att.net>
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