In Training = Learning? LO14031 Morty Lefkoe wrote:
> I'd like to suggest that all behavior is ultimately the result of our
> beliefs. If the beliefs are changed, the behavior changes. I've developed
> a process (the Decision Maker(R) Process) that enables people to find and
> quickly eliminate the beliefs underlying any dysfunctional behaviors.
> When the beliefs are gone, the behavior is also. Beliefs can be
> eliminated in less than an hour.
This sounds a lot like the Paradigm Prism that is marketed by Joel
Barker's organization. It uses the premise that all behavior is the
result of rules that we learn from a variety of sources (a paradigm is a
collection of rules that tells us what is expected and how to be
successful [solve problems] within that particular context).
A friend in Atlanta, GA named Willard Jule also has a similar technique
that uses the term "assumptions" to indicate the antecedents of behavior.
Otherwise the technique is very similar.
After using Barker's technique and reading about this area for a while, I
combined the notion of rules and Chris Argyris' ideas about theories of
action into an approach that starts with values that yield principles.
These principles then yield specific rules which govern behavior. If
behavior is not what is wanted, a common approach is to look at the
underlying values. This is similar to what Wr. Lefkoe is proposing. I
have found, though, that a common set of values can yield somewhat
different sets of principles and VERY different sets of rules.
For example: consider the value that all people are created equal. This
commonly yields a principle of treating everyone the same. The specific
rules involved in how to do this can be extremely different. A common
rule is that we should treat everyone EXACTLY the same. When we treat
everyone exactly the same we ignore the individual uniqueness and
resulting needs that make any group an exciting and dynamic entity. As
individual needs are subordinated to the "desires of the group(?)"
individual initiative and creativity are often eliminated as well.
when trying to effect a massive organizational change, the values may
still be essentially sound, but the operational rules create an
undesirable set of behaviors and consequences.
--Clyde Howell orgpsych@augusta.net
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>