Implementing the Theorists LO21076

tom abeles (tabeles@tmn.com)
Tue, 30 Mar 1999 08:35:47 -0600

Replying to LO21033 --

Steve Eskow wrote:
> Replying to LO21013 --

and replying to Harriet's: Pay for Performance LO21047

> Harriett Robles and others here seem to begin with a mental model of a
> college or university as a "bureaucracy" locked into medieval routines
> that have changed little in hundreds of years, with power structures
> unwilling and unable to learn, to change, to move.
>
> It might be useful to examine that mental model a bit to see if it is
> accurate and useful, and whether that model is itself part of the problem
> of helping colleges to learn what needs to be learned.

I think that Steve's analysis is correct. We do need to examine our Myths,
past, present and future.

A very savvy business man had all of his executives meet once a month and
start the meeting by dviding a board in half. On one side of the board
they listed the answers to the question: "What business are we in?" and on
the other half they answered: "What business are we not in?" It was this
latter question which was always the hardest to answer. And it is
particularly true of The Academy which wishes to be inclusive in many
dimensions.

The university of today is not in the same "business" that it was in back
in the days of von Humboldt, the 1500's. In fact the University pre and
post WWII is in a different business. Even more interesting is that not
all post secondary institutions are in the same "business" and we are not
talking about market niches.

How do we build a learning organization with no vision or realization of
what is the business?

thoughts?

tom abeles

-- 

tom abeles <tabeles@tmn.com>

Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>