On Sun, 05 May 1996 23:00 Augustine Paz wrote -
> The Learning Organization and Capitalism: Some Questions.
>
> How would a learning organization define and understand capital? Is
> the profit motive compatible with a learning organization? Or is
> learning simply a means to whatever ends one decides to pursue?
>
> My sense is that if the principles of a learning organization are
> driven by a profit motive that the bottom line will eventually
> undermine the learning organizations full development. Learning
> presupposes the values of exploring and questioning underlying
> assumptions which would almost inevitably lead to a confrontation with
> the short- and long-term interest of most shareholders.
>
> Is this a limitation of the learning organization or of capitalism?
> Or is this a non-issue?
IMHO, they are completely compatible and, in fact, both rely on each other
for success. The same can be said of many other conditions such as
healthy, happy people and excellence in production and high ethics and
high quality. Each of these good things is enhanced by every other good
thing and is decreased to the extent that another good thing is not
satisfied. Happy customers are compatible with happy employees and happy
investors. Capital is just one of the many good things which any company
must have in order to be successful and profits are one of the
characteristics necessary to attract capital sufficient to the company's
needs.
We always have a tendency to look at our Good Guy/Gal Creator and realize
that if he/she was really Good, then all good things would not only be
compatible with other good things but would be synergistic with them. When
we looked at the world from this angle, we were able to find those
synergisms and compatibilities. We have found the same to be true in how
to manage people for maximum productivity, morale, creativity, motivation
and commitment. Before we realized this truth, we were often confused. Now
we are sure that every good enhances every other good.
Just my two cents on what we see as a very important issue you have
brought to the group, Augustine.
Regards, Joan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joan Pomo The Finest Tools for Managing People
Simonton Associates Based on the book
jpomo@gate.net "How to Unleash the Power of People"
--"jpomo@gate.net" <jpomo@gate.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>