Fred Nickols recently wrote:
>By way of example, consider the text below, snipped from LO3493, in which
>Jack Hirschfeld writes in part:
>
>>A training/development department of a large organization which is about
>>to embark on a journey of transformation wants to rename itself.
>
>What is being communicated here? That all members of the department agree
>that the name of their department must be changed? That the head of the
>department believes this is necessary? That a few members have sold the
>head of the department on the idea? That the head of the unit has been
>directed to "get with the program"? I have no idea which of these or any
>of other possibilities is the case. But I am sure of one thing: the
>department doesn't want to do anything.
Thanks for raising the issue Fred. The answer to your multiple choice
question runs something like this: The "department" is the remains of an
organization once called "Training and Development Department" which was
dismantled during a "restructuring" a few years ago. It has a new boss,
whose (VP, HR) is also new, and a staff which is fed up with both the
moniker laid onto them during restructuring and the reputation that goes
with it. The "customers" (i.e., persons in the company seeking training,
education or development) are confused by the current name, and in any
case have no faith that this decimated staff can deliver anything useful;
they have consequently turned to outside vendors. The feeling in the
company that this function is "broken" is pretty widespread and uniform,
and nobody holds this belief more firmly than the staff and their new
leader. Among other things, they want to shed their name, and do not want
to return to the clear and descriptive Tr & Dev, because of the baggage it
carries. You're right, of course, that the "department" - if what you mean
by that is a box on an org chart - wants nothing. But if you mean, as I
do, the living, breathing people who work in the offices which are labeled
"department", then I can tell you with reasonable certainty that all want
the name change. Being people, some want it more than others (that is, it
looms larger in their thinking) and some are so burnt out that they merely
"go along" with the idea. Does that help?
-- Jack Hirschfeld Whoa! I want to know, how does the song go? jack@his.com