Sorry this reply is a few days late, but I lost this message in my "in
box" . . .
Archie has some good comments, which I'd like to reply to (BTW I'm working
on being more succinct in my replies, here's my first attempt):
> I do not agree that organizations exist for the success of individuals who
> are part of the organization. An organization must exist for the good of the
> collective whole, but not necessarily for the good of the individual.
This is how I look at it (more or less an expression of my philosophy
about why businesses exist at all): An organization exists for two primary
purposes. First, to provide products/services that people value (which is
how money is made); Second, to provide an environment where individuals
can discover, express, and explore their inherent greatness.
Individuals come to discover and explore their greatness within
communities, not as "individuals" . . . going back to Senge's point about
the "community nature of self." And so providing an environment where
individuals can flourish implies that the business is concerned with the
organization as a whole. It is important to remember that "individuals"
are what make an organization . . . hence my emphasis. Of course, every
organization has a different "vision" of what it is trying to accomplish,
but the foundation for accomplishment, I believe, is the ongoing discovery
and expression of individual greatness!
--Benjamin B. Compton ("Ben") | email: bcompton@novell.com Novell GroupWare Technical Engineer | fax: (801) 222-6991
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>