Re: Stuck in the middle
mdarling@warren.med.harvard.edu
Wed, 04 Jan 95 17:22:53 EST
Dear CAC6:
I salute your persistence, but I might suggest that you turn down the volume
and turn up the amplitude. Rather than talking about the importance of L-O
principles or asking managers to read a book, I would suggest that you focus on
the specific issues that you think have each key manager's attention (i.e.,
what keeps her/him up at night) and relate how she/he might use Senge's
principles (or Deming, Argyris, etc.) to solve this specific problem. If you
do this often enough and specifically enough, and if your ideas are on target,
these key managers might begin to SEE the need to implement these principles on
a broader scale.
Do you think their dismissal (all 39 of them) of L-O principles is for lack of
understanding or for some good reason that you might be missing? I ask this as
an outside observer with the greatest of respect for how difficult it is to
marshall a group of headstrong executives to move in one direction. Also, I
wonder if they might be confused about the relationship between L-Os and TQM
and if they might see your promotion of Senge's ideas as "yet another
(expensive) management fad".
Best wishes on moving forward as a team!
Marilyn Darling
mdarling@warren.med.harvard.edu