The only way to combat complex organization relationships both internally
and externally is through the use of more sophisticated and interactive
tools and techniques like Interactive Management by John Warfield at
George Mason Univ. Unless we include all stakeholders who can interact
sufficiently to generate a common linguistic domain and identify common
shared values and common unity (or community), there is little hope to
really see improvements in most organizations today.
What Deming talked about was tools at the process level where statistical
data about improvements can be documented. The "real" issues in today's
organizations are cross functional and at upper middle and top management
levels. Unless we can really build "virtual organizations" that can come
together and reach common understanding, how can one address organization
learning , much less document its use and value. When leaders and managers
are "secure" and want to really address labor or any other issues, such
as downsizing or whatever, they will not open up to the "requisite
variety" of interactions that is necessary and sufficient to clearly
identify critical relationships and interdependencies as the first step
toward mutual learning and "trust."
AWSmith Bill
>Rol's comments about the impact of stability on the family and the society
>are spot on. Another issue that seems to be consistently ignored is the
>impact on the social fibre of the organisation itself. Effective
>organisational structures require effective social structures that require
>the development of trust and understanding. These cannot be developed with
>high instability.
>
>Yes, many of our management approaches consist of reducing the important
>to that which is narrowly definable - critical success factor, managment
>by objectives, corporate plans etc. etc. We are trying to simplify so we
>can control, rather than developing techniques of understanding and
>influencing the whole.
>
>Gray Southon
-- awsmith@uts.cc.utexas.edu (August W. Smith)-Info: learning-org-approval@world.std.com or <http://world.std.com/~lo/>