Jeff wrote --
>For example, what if you are (as I am) a professional staffer in a large
>organization? Where can you find a point of influence? I'm interested in
>hearing what others have to say about practicing the 5 disciplines of the
>learning organization in situations where you are not the designated
>change agent (or where the organization does not perceive the need for
>change yet thrashes around trying to cure systemic problems with purely
>technical solutions.)
While this may sound a little glib, let me suggest that you start where
you are, with what you have, with who you have access to, and do what you
can. I have worked with annointed 'change agents' who were quite
effective, and with others who were almost totally ineffective. I have
worked with non-annointed people who were very effective, and with some
who were almost totally ineffective. My conclusion is that the annointing
process carries with it no sharing of secret recipes for effectiveness.
In this list we have talked about mental models and the importance of
our language. I have tried over the last several years (with some
lapses of constistency, I fear) to make this change in -my- language:
Banish the use of the phrases 'top-down' and 'bottom-up'.
Why? Because if it's to be a 'top-down' effort, I'm off the hook
because I'm not at the top. And if it's to be a bottom-up effort,
I'm off the hook because I'm not at the bottom.
Instead, I try to use the phrases 'from above' and 'from below'.
I believe that in some cases we operate from above, because all of
us are above some people in some cases (whether it be from position
or experience or knowledge or whatever). And equally all of us are
below some people in some cases. But if we use 'from above' and 'from
below' it includes all of us in the middle: now we are -on- the hook,
we are accountable.
Maybe it's a silly language game and I'm deceiving myself. Ludwig
Wittgenstein had some thoughtful comments on the game of language:
"The concept of knowing is coupled with that of the
language-game."
Michael A
- Michael Ayers
Mailto: mbayers@mmm.com Voice (651) 733-5690) FAX (651) 737-7718
IT Educ&Perf Svcs 3M Center 224-2NE-02 PO Box 33224 St. Paul MN
55133-3224
Sometimes the right question is, 'Are we asking the right question?'
Ideas contained in this note represent the author's opinions and
do not intentionally represent the positions of anyone else in this galaxy.
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