Replying to LO29772 --
Dear reader; Hello Malcolm
Your reply generated a lot of thoughts. I'll pick a few:
1. our world is inherently paradoxical - and i do not mean that this is a
dilemma, or a problem, it is an inescapable truth. This does not mean that
improvement or learning is impossible, it just more complicated then we
think. Learning is an example of a paradoxical process: when everything
goes well, i'ven't learned anything and when thing go wrong i have an
opportunity to learn. Most organisations are only dimly aware of this
issue. Most have been trimmed for "correcting and detecting errors before
they happen" and are regularly ISO-lated by procedures from learning. So a
"true" learning organization would be making errors, mistakes, perform
poorly and certainly not be a (successful) multinational company. Who
wants to be in the company of learning leader?
2. Practices and outcomes, ethics and results complement each other. In
my opinion there "good" and "evil" are not opposites, they are two
different aspects of the same phenomena, life, learning, organizing. We
can not have tears without laughter, no light without darkness, no good
without evil. No profit without losses. The paradox is that we assume that
"good (or profit)" is good and "evil (or loss)" is bad. That is logically,
because that is how it feels: a "loss" feels terrible; "evil" feels bad,
painful. We then assume that we should not have these "bad" feelings and
we get angry or we repress them or we ignore the feelings or all of the
above. This works for a short while and therefore we think that we should
banish "evil" from this earth, even at the cost of doing bad - for the
greater good. The lesson that presents itself again and again is that this
offers no resolution, no solution, no salvation or liberation. "Good" can
feel both good and bad and "evil" can feel both good and bad, but not at
the same time.
3. I was browsing through "Ethica" by Spinoza again. It amazes me how he
derives all human conduct from a few assumptions. Living a good life can
be done in only one way: "living a good life".
4. There is no limit to what we - human beings, organizations - can learn
and i suppose that every organisation - as an expression of our core
beliefs - wants to develop, to learn, to grow, to change. This is done
spendidly inefficient!
ooops, have to pick up the phone,
Take care,
Jan Lelie
>On December 23, Jon Benn wrote, in response to Julia (Kychua?)'s request,
>
>> I think G.E. fits the bill. And their work-out program seems just the way
>> to create a learning organization.
>
>After waiting to see if anyone else would take this up, and with some
>hesitation about (a) being oppositional; and (b) reviving a dormant thread
>on the list, I must respectfully disagree.
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