Ketan says:
>"Power" and "politics" are not inherently bad -- they are the manifestations of
>group activity. It is when people opt out of it that they not only disempower
>themselves but ultimately damage the organisation by not permitting EVERY
>person from growing and contributing into the organisation.
I'd just like to point out that hierarchies can be viewed simply as
channels of authority and information. Authority is needed to provide
alignment and coordination, and information is needed as a resource to
achieve alignment and to get work done. People are not clairvoyant and
they have different views of what and how things should be done.
Authority and information are simply indispensable tools for performing
complex activities.
The challenge is to get beyond power as the underlying paradigm or model
and see it as a background condition. If we can focus on horizontal
relationships (e.g. teams) and USE the vertical hierarchy as a means of
supporting the horizontal organization, then perhaps we can make some
progress toward collaborative organizations.
I'm reminded of a teacher I had in high school who characterized himself
as "first among equals". He had plenty of "authority" but he chose not to
use it, except when absolutely necessary (which was surprisingly rare,
given that his co-equals were 17-year old boys). His job was to convey,
interpret and build "information". He didn't teach (manage) us; he helped
us learn (facilitated our roles). A good model for managers.
-- David E. Birren Phone: (608)267-2442 Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources Fax: (608)267-3579 Bureau of Management & Budget Internet: birred@dnr.state.wi.us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "To know, and not to act, is to not know." --Wang Yang Ming, 9th-century Chinese general