Fortunately I keep a fire extinguisher nearby in case of flames such
as this.
John,
I think you have missed the point entirely. Then again, I may have simply
been put on the defensive by your response.
You blast everything mentioned regarding performance improvement, employee
development, etc. I think you have missed the reality of "modern"
organizations where these are quantum leaps into the desired future. If
not, then please let us all know where such an organization exists that
accurately and specifically prescribes requirements, selects employees
fully qualified to meet these requirements, allows the employees to direct
their individual performance with no guidance from above, and still
performs successfully over extended periods of time. I haven't found such
an organization.
We say that we would like this organization to exist, but getting there
from what currently exists in most situations requires that such
"inanities" as employee development and performance improvement be used to
change employee, as well as organizational, outlooks from heirarchical to
lateral and to get employees to accept responsibility for the
organization's performance as well as their own individual performance.
I agree ... much of the performance problems we encounter are the result
of the system rather than evil employees. However, employees who are
indoctrinated in that system require time to adjust to anything different.
That time includes those activities we refer to as employee development.
Market demands shift over time. Those employees who have always performed
at a set level over time often lose their jobs because they cannot keep up
with or meet those demands. To change those employees' performance to
meet these shifting demands requires what we refer to as employee
development and performance improvement. The only other alternative is to
simply fire the formerly-perfect-but-now-deficient employees and hire some
more perfect employees to meet new demands.
Those now-displaced former employees can take the initiative to get
upgraded skills and attempt to re-enter the workforce. That's a LOT
easier to do than it sounds. A better alternative is for a company to
invest the time and money in activities and resources that will serve to
develop the new skills in the existing workforce (employee development
again) and modify performance to achieve a higher level be either
motivating employees to perform at higher levels or to remove systemic
obstacles that are preventing perfect employees from performing at that
higher level (performance improvement again).
I guess I am trying to say that I don't get what you are saying. Please
provide more specific information regarding this other organization and
how it can be achieved without destroying the bulk of existing
organizations first.
BTW, a total aside ... have you ever gone by the name Roger?
--Clyde Howell orgpsych@augusta.net
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>