Replying to LO29699 --
Dear Don, At et al,
Who recalls this ;-)....
"What we have is a series of businesses and consultants gurus thereto
looking for an instant solution. This is the North American way: instant
breakfasts, weight loss made easy, one minute managers...
Certainly, the North American business ethic has led us to believe in the
value of following the current 'fad' in business modernization. This is
easy to communicate to our employees, is readily acceptable to our board,
and can be accepted by our acquaintances. What else could possibly
matter?"
K Cowan
Ahhhhh! the olden days of 'dragons ridden by the tail', anons, and a need
for a 'public dialogue' that went seriously 'underground';-(
The "Fifth Discipline" 1994 "Introduction to the Paperback Edition"
includes Peter Senge's view of "The Fifth Discipline" about four years
after its original publication: The vision that became "The Fifth
Discipline" was born one morning in the fall of 1987. During my meditation
that morning, I suddenly became aware that "the learning organization"
would likely become a new management fad. Having watched similar fads
(such as "creating shared visions") develop in the past, I knew that the
work being done at MIT, Innovation Associates, and by collegues elsewhere
represented a unique perspective and body of practical knowledge that
could contribute to organizational learning. I also realized that if we
were to influence the fad, we needed to "put a stake in the ground"--to
establish a position concerning what was possible, a position that would
become a point of reference as the fad cycle developed. Being an incurable
systems thinker, in my mind that morning I saw a "pattern of behavior"
graph over time that represented the inevitable rise and fall of fads. I
imagined that like all fads that catch on, interest in learning
organizations would grow rapidly. Then there would be a leveling off,
followed by a decline. While advocates of a new fad typically do
everything they can to accelerate the growth period, in fact the most
important questions concern the decline phase. How precipitous will the
decline be? How can it be influenced? What will be left after the fad has
passed? Pure fads are characterized by a rapid decline, and a complete
collapse in interest as the fad fades into obscurity. Hula Hoops, Pet
Rocks, and many of the "new management" ideas of the 1980s (like quality
circles) have one thing in common--once they're gone, they're gone. But
other new ideas do not fade into obscurity even after their faddishness
passes. It seemed to me that one way to influence the long-term impact of
"the learning organization" was to establish an intellectually challenging
base of ideas and tools early in the fad cycle. The "stake" I wanted to
put into the ground would establish systems thinking, mental models,
personal mastery, shared vision, and team learning and dialogue as
inescapable elements in building learning organizations. If I had drawn
the curve that morning, I would have put an arrow at the very outset of
the growth period. If you are going to write a book that is part of a fad
cycle, it had better be published at the beginning of the cycle. While
these realizations came literally in a matter of moments, the eventual
choice to pursue this understanding consumed the better part of the
ensuing two and a half years, resulting in the book you have in your
hands."
is this still current reality?
Corporate Integrity Personal Integrity
Work as job Work as competency
Power and position Money and skills
Commitment to employer Commitment to projectWork is life
Life's workIndividual is a resource Individual is an human
The goal is profit The goal is learning
The goal is profit The goal is truth
The goal is corporate growth The goal is personal growth
Resume as work Work as resume
The work was here before you My work is part of my life"
"Teamwork should be sacrificing egos for the greater good of the whole"
"Teamwork is a chance to learn from others whileworking together"
The ideal team blends multiple egos into one direction The ideal
team encourages cooperation among roles
"It's your job" "It's my life"
"Who signs your check?" "Who does the work?"
You must give notice I might give notice
I might give notice I won't be suprised
Temps Freelancers
Work Family
Human Law Spiritual Law
Fairness: everyone is the same Fairness: everyone is holy
Avoid the appearance of impropriety Avoid hurting others
Work on my questions Question my work
Punishments and rewards Conscience and peace
Money Life
Last night I watched a play, about a woman, a scholar of poetry, of John
Donne funnily enough. In one analytical moment the tutor offers the young
girl student as she 'was then' a metaphysical view of the purpose of a
comma. Yes, a comma. The comma expanded into the tiniest possible
recordable gateway ;-) between 'death' and 'eternal life'. In this way,
dear brothers and sisters, my little equation became
'life>death<eternal-life'. within the limits of this 'medium' how do I
convey the smallness of this death? Who sees the word 'death' in the
above? Ah! I see;-) it must then be an 'implicate' in a collective 'blind
spot' ;-)
- the struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against
forgetting. Leyton
Where is history?
Love,
Andrew
Angel Meadow
Oxford
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