Replying to LO29794 --
Andrew's comment evokes a few thoughts:
'on the surface there seem to be no opposition, no differences, and
conclude general agreement for change management or paradigm shift ... (at
times a few argue violently about certain differences over a real issue,
and it is normally the one with higher official authority silence the rest
with his or her own view or conclusion and ask the rest to move on with
the change management or paradgim shift (of the advocate's interpretation)
... '
I suggest we need to plan any shift in paradigm, however there is always
an underlying issue in any workplace. - It is the issue of 'democracy and
control'. Any new approach to management will always be subject to
(cynical) manipulation by self serving individuals in positions of
authority. I suggest we should move towards a paradigm which is risk
conscious, proactive in implementing controls, and more participative.
In fact a move away from the old authoritarian paradigm to a more
democratic state. In the past managers readily recognised that many
workers cannot self-manage, mainly because certain information is denied
them. In fact manager's self-interest often causes them to even promote
this situation.
As I have said previously, when a well-written management system is
available, the conditions are right for empowerment of all workers in an
organisation. In short the workers have the means to self-manage, and
take control of their own work situation.
Adequate control by managers doesn't become an issue when a fair and
reasonable audit regime is implemented.
A few years ago I worked in a large Australian telecommunications company,
in the National Occupational Health and Safety and Environment Branch.
Although the corporation declared that 'TQM is its management system',
when the change was proposed in the above branch, to a TQM approach, the
branch manager did his best to corrupt the situation for his own purposes.
At a 'love-fest' at a beachside resort, he required his managers to sign a
'loyalty-charter' requiring support for himself - how paranoid can you
get?
Incidentally, this manager recently died of a rare form of cancer. When a
senior manager in the organisation was asked, why he was tolerated for so
long, the answer was 'he kept the lid on the unions'.
I suggest our enemy is the type of mindset which can only view the world
situation in terms of 'left' and 'right',( the old authoritarian paradigm
in which the extremes are nazism and communism, and we occupy the supposed
middle ground). I believe we have moved away from this situation towards
a participative industrial democracy.
BRING ON YOUR PARADIGM SHIFT !
Best Regards,
Alan Cotterell
--"Alan Cotterell" <acotrel@cnl.com.au>
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