Replying to LO29837 --
In LO29837, Malcolm Burson, responding to my earlier posting in this
thread, writes:
>Fred, as usual, provides a concise and cogent way of thinking about the
>relationship among being an LO, an organization's culture, and change
>processes. If I read him right, he suggests that change is something
>external that "operates upon culture..."
Certainly one form of change is external and operates upon culture but
there's more than that.
>I would propose as an alternative the notion that an LO is one in which
>processes of change are intrinsic, both tacit and implicit, and fully
>operative in the organization's very DNA. In this way of thinking, change
>doesn't operate on an organization's culture; instead, it IS the culture.
I think that might be true once an organization has become an LO but
getting there is a different matter.
>But perhaps this is just another way of saying the same thing?
Actually, I don't think it is the same thing. I was addressing what I've
always called "planned" or "managed" change, the kind carried out in
pursuit of some set of predefined outcomes (e.g., as might be the case if
some critical mass of managers and executives commit to transforming their
organization into a learning organization). I think the kind of change
Malcolm is talking about is more instinctive, spontaneous and far less
structured and organized. It just kind of happens. I've seen a new
skipper come on board a destroyer and, in a matter of weeks (without
benefit of any change management program), the crew knew that this was a
different command and, without conversation or plan, everyone began acting
accordingly (and bringing the new state of affairs to the attention of
those not perceptive enough to detect it on their own). I think that kind
of unspoken adaptation and adjustment fits with what Malcolm describes and
I agree that it exists and occurs but I don't think it fits the category
of planned or managed change.
Regards,
Fred Nickols
Distance Consulting
nickols@safe-t.net
www.nickols.us
--Fred Nickols <nickols@safe-t.net>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <Richard@Karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>
"Learning-org" and the format of our message identifiers (LO1234, etc.) are trademarks of Richard Karash.