Emergent Learning LO6064

Inflow@eworld.com
Fri, 8 Mar 1996 20:09:56 -0800

Gene wrote in LO6017...

> I had an opportunity to be involved in an organizational design effort
> during the last 3 weeks of Feb. During that time I spent 1 to 2 hrs a day
> with the director of a 250 person organization. During those sessions I
> never attempted to convince this person of anything, yet simply attempted
> to develop deeper levels of understanding regarding organization
> structure, measurements, incentives, rewards, policies, procedures,
> leadership, management, and beliefs. This was done by simply by asking
> quesitons, and quesitons about the implications of the answers to
> questions, etc. etc..
>
> At the end of the three weeks this person commented to the effect that
> they were amazed at how much they had learned from themself during our
> meetings.
>
> And there was also probably a thought regarding why, if they learned so
> much from themself during this time, did they bother to pay me.
>
> I found it a marvelous experience and consider it rather Taoist in nature.
> When the sage has finished his work the people will say, "We did it
> ourselves!"

Contrast the above with the typical org change effort[reengineering, new
computer system, ..] that originates from outside the system being
changed, with an emphasis on external expertise. After the project is
completed, management is suprised with the resistence, subversion, etc,
that externally imposed change generates!

Good work Gene!

Valdis Krebs
Krebs & Associates
Los Angeles, CA

inflow@concentric.net

-- 

Inflow@eworld.com

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