William J Hobler writes in reply to Doc Holloway:
>> But being a change agent is less than I wish to be, and more. I would
>> prefer (and hope I am to some extent) to be a change rider, like a surfer
>> who rides waves or a sky diver who rides the air currents.
> Is this a wish to be a follower of a larger culture as it changes? Is it
> not participating in directing the force that creates the wave?
>> I don't care to just go around making others into myself or recreating the
>> world into the model I've adopted or devised (which is too often the role
>> of change-agents).
> Am I right in reading this as a contridiction of your last thought? I
> read this as - you don't want to just ride the wave????
As I read it, Doc is acknowledging that, while a change agent can cause
change in an organization, he/she can't control it. The change will take
its course based on a number of individual and organizational factors.
Thus, a change agent needs to be able to "ride" the changes, rather than
trying to control or limit them (think of poor old King Canute), to be in
a position to help them head in an emergent direction.
Doc, did I get close?
--Don Dwiggins "The truth will make you free, SEI Information Technology but first it will make you miserable" d.l.dwiggins@computer.org -- Tom DeMarco
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