I can see that your experience here fits with the notion of closed
systems being resistant to change - perhaps some clues to more
generally applicable conclusions (if they exist) are that leaders
are in the prime position to be able to prevent learning coming in
from outside the system and also to begin to use and encourage
learning from outside the system. I would think that 'anyone' who
is ready to listen to people from outside their system would be
ready to make more fundamental changes. Not sure aboutt he notion
of 'teacher' although I can see it if we regard all
information/data as 'teaching' us things we did not know - thus
the teacher in some instnaces might be the customers - once we
start to listen to them and learn what they are saying - it might
equally be our competitors or the environmentalist lobby .. or
even a consultant... every system could map out all the people
'outside' who could be 'inside' and structure the sorts of dialogue
which would support the learning you describe.... (and then having
learnt from them could map the outside again!!)
> 3. I do not believe that I said I "proved" my point. If I used
> the word prove, I errored. The conclusion I have outlined
> above is my belief about reality at a particular point in
> time.
I found this a useful way of expressing this - as someone who is
more inclined (by personality or whatever) to avoid deciding what
I have decided and who has worked with someone who loves to draw
conclusions - framing these conclusions as 'beliefs about reality
at a point in time' will be helpful...
Julie Beedon
VISTA Consulting - for a better future
julie@vistabee.win-uk.net
--Julie Beedon <julie@vistabee.win-uk.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>