As a matter of fact, the "system" always works. When I spoke of a system not
functioning, it was with an eye to improvement of team concept in the organization. The
system was still functioning.... compensating for its individual components as systems
do. Nothing every "breaks", the system just yields a different result.
Perhaps my original post was short on facts. It is always somewhat awkward to lay out
facts objectively in these situations. This electronic medium lacks much on issues like
this since the dialogue needs to be somewhat subtle and we lack the facial, body and
inflection tools we would have face to face. Perhaps this will be a more concise
description of the facts.
Sales DO look good. Another client just signed on to the tune of several million
dollars of billings per month. However, INHO, a planned growth of 50% does not sound
reasonable when turnover among line personnel is 30% annually. Moreover, two of the
three strategic manager hired from outside in the past year have resigned. The one that
didn't is married to one of the other strategic managers. Other symptoms pointed me in
the direction of managerial training as one peice of the solution.
Obviously, this is a growing organization. One of the trainers has the simple motto on
his desk "Stuff happens, things change." My outlook was that I want to be part of the
solution where possible. My frustration came from unfulfilled expectations. I was
encouraged when leaders listened to my offers to do management training and said,
"Great, write out a formal proposal.." OR
"Just go for it..." OR
"I'll bring it up in the next executive staff meeting..."
When nothing more happened over a period of seven months, I simply didn't feel valued
as an employee much less a respected participant in the business process. That is when
I started to beleive that I am following a different paradigm... that I was on a
different page in the playbook.
In all of my training, I stress usable comprehension. I generally agree with the
concept of everyone adding to culture yet agreement on how to _USE_ this philosophy
escapes me at key times. I have yet to find a reasonable and practical starting point
to the issue of the influence (read leverage) which managerial types have by fiat. As
Orwell would put it, "some pigs are more equal than others." To borrow another phrase,
higher management tend to be the security counsel for the organization, complete with
veto power. Learning organizations require a cultural change in this respect.
Even as we let this subject wither and fade, it seems that perhaps this is a not a topic
that lends itself to a discussion on the net. It requires some basic common ground be
established before a shared learning experience is possible.
One of the things I find most interesting is that the level of dialogue increases when
someone gives an anecdote or a personal experience.... positive or negative. Such was
the case with this and many other threads in LO.
I read Victor Frankle's book Man's Search for Meaning this week. It is an observation
of his fellow prisoners at Auschwitz from a psycological perspective. His philosophy in
response to his situation is stated in part below. My initial thoughts reminded me of
poetic phrase "a time for sowing and a time for reaping". Perhaps this is a time for
disappointment?
"Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right
conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to
its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.
...Sometimes the situation in which a man finds himself may require him to shape his own
fate by action. At other times, it is more advantageous for him to make use of an
opportunity for contemplation..... to bear his cross."
Things get very difficult to manage in exponential growth situations. It seems that we
might all be better served by focusing on what to do with rapidly changing/ expanding
organizations. Thanks for the thought Ben.
As a starter on the topic of rapid change, I think the that all the management
disciplines associated with project management come into play only more so. These
include setting priorites, utilizing a project planning tool (e. g. PERT chart or Gantt
chart), evaluating the skills and resources needed, and procuring those resources
(hiring, contracting and delegating). Most importantly, in between all of the doing,
there needs to be the prescence of mind to step back and evaluate at appropriate
intervals.
Stephen Weed
slweed@cyberhighway.net
--Stephen Weed <slweed@cyberhighway.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>