> From: kent_myers@smtplink.sra.com
> Date: Mon, 16 Oct 95 10:11:19 EST
>
> I was surprised that LO folks didn't know the origins of synectics. I was
> shocked to meet a person doing a dissertation on the Delphi technique who
> didn't know its origin. In a scholarly field, this would be a scandal,
> but management isn't a scholarly field. Also, in a world full of trivia,
> ignorance of inessentials is forgivable. So what's essential?
The shallow interest might come from the fact that in management,
we have become much more preoccupaied with the application of the
traditional scientific methods to anything and everything. We apply
science even to things I consider as out the realm of science. So, it is
more important to find that the Delphi Technique is momre reliable and
valid when applied under such and such conditions, than the origin of the
technique!
> Philosophy is something that Plato invented and which he says differs from
> philodoxy, or the love of opinion that results in doctrine and systems.
> "Philosophy of management" sounds suspiciously like a call for scientistic
> doctrine. There's another direction to take.
>
I talk more about the wisdom of management, which is the ability
to lead and identify the "right" alternatives. BTW, I think that knowing
what the right alternatives are is a after the fact deal. You have to
apply it first to know if they were the right ones.
> What would the philosopher say if he came across a manager seeking
> understanding? The philosopher would discover that the manager is engaged
> in politics and commerce, and would note that these social relationships
> are examined in political theory, history, ethics, etc. But the
> philosopher would also note that these topics, while they would help the
> manger understand his situation, do not directly help him achieve mastery.
You are right. Very effective managers are not developed because
they have all that knowledge, but as they learn the wisdom and the "eye"
of how some of those things might apply, if at all.
> As a practice (phronesis, more specifically) management is best learned
> while working under the supervision of masters, and there are better and
> worse ways of doing this. So we arrive at the topic of education. Donald
> Schon, in his books on the Reflective Practitioner, has accurately typed
> management knowledge and describes an appropriate way to develop it. It's
> an example of what philosophy offers management, without misconstruing
> either.
>
> Kent Myers kent_myers@smtplink.sra.com
I can't argue this point. I have personally experienced those
mentors and learned from them. Unfortunately for the field (sorry) of
management, but fortunately for me, I learn from the mentors before I went
back to graduate school.
Ivan,
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