> Date: Thu, 14 Sep 1995 09:11:59 -0400 (EDT)
> From: "Rachel Silber" <rachel@ontos.com>
<<< some deletions here >>>
> These are, of course, two sides of the same coin. In the new labor
> market we are evolving toward, the commitment between the employee and
> the employer is more transactional (you do this for me and then I do
> that for you, and if either side gets a better deal elsewhere, we're
> free to maximize our own self-interest) and less relational ( we both
> commit, and then there is a pretty wide margin within which we both
> feel obligated to be forgiving and ignore self-interest in order to
> maintain the commitment we've made).
>
This "transactional" engagement is based more on materialistic
outcomes, isn't it? I certainly appreciate the different "relational"
levels in the college life as a professor. Relationships with
administrators, colleagues, and other learning partners (a.k.a. as
students).
> I believe that this change is counter to the spirit of a "learning
> organization". If you "remove fear" as Deming would have it, if you give
> people a secure ground, they can maximize their contribution to the whole
> system of which they are a part. If each person is -- must be --
> primarily concerned with maximizing their potential future earning power,
> then certain tasks become absurdly self-sacrificing. For example the
> folks who maintained the old obsolete computer system for the many months
> it took to get their co-workers up and trained on the new system, and who
> were then the first to be eliminated when another downsizing or
> reorganization took place. (This example is a particular pattern that
> I've seen or heard of several times.)
>
<<< some more deletions here >>>
Again, this idea of "maximizing" one's potential is measured in
monetary terms. I believe in what Deming said about the "forces of
destruction," that kill the creativity, the innate desire to learn and
work that we all have. I am glad that I am in this business of higher
education because the only things we can maximize here cannot be taken to
the bank, but they are yours to keep and nobody sue you to take them away
from you. :-)
"Life is not getting and having, but being and becoming." I see
that we will be dominated by transactional engagements for as long as we
put a price tag to everything we do. It is not that I don't appreciate
money (my creditors worry a lot more than I do), but not all can be
measured in terms of maximization of earning potential! Or shouldn't be!
Ivan
--
***************************************************************
R. IVAN BLANCO, Ph.D. Voice 305 899-3515
Assoc. Prof. & Director Fax 305 892-6412
International Business Programs
Andreas School of Business _________E-Mail Addresses________
Barry University Bitnet: Blanco%bu4090@Barryu
Miami Shores, FL 33161-6695 Internet: Blanco@bu4090.barry.edu
<<<<< ---------------- >>>>>
"Las naciones marchan hacia el termino de su grandeza, con
el mismo paso que camina su educacion." "The nations march
toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational
systems evolve." Simon Bolivar
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