Below are application notes based on my experiences and interpretation of
Meg Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science. For most of those on the
discussion list that work full time in organizational development, these
notes may state the obvious. However, for those that work in the line
(you are out there, aren't you ?) and have read the book or heard about
it, you may find some value in them. Excuse the incomplete sentences, but
hopefully the thoughts are there.
-
Geof Fountain
tfyy93a@prodigy.com
- combining self-reference (M, V, P, V of the whole) with self-
organization (empowerment) and local chaos (feeding back info on itself)
will result in more order
M - mission
V - vision
P - principles
V - values
- personal effectiveness depends on the quality of the working
relationships; one's job should be seen in terms of "relationships",
rather than in terms of "doing things"
- areas to focus on
- build/emphasize relationships bonded by common purpose
- address change from a system's view
- appreciate and get comfortable with chaos and disorder and see
them as partners in creating ordered change
- build/promote/improve the systems by focusing on the
relationships that make up the system
- see yourself as a generator of knowledge
- for major tasks, create visions in terms of the systemic
behavior, relationships, information, and knowledge desired
- identify key systemic leverage points to increase effectiveness
- act before final plan, ie, pilot, create the environment/system
in the pilot; allow the implementers to create and test the proposed
change
- since reality requires participation, effective change to a
different reality requires allowing the implementers to create it;
this as opposed to creating the change in a vacuum and then trying
to impose that change on the implementers
- focus on and nurture the new relationships and knowledge/skill
capabilities being created; act as a leader evoking new
potentialities of the organization with the pilot
- seek effectiveness - did the pilot achieve the intent ?
- design the system to allow local action (autonomy) while assuring
the whole system's intent is achieved (order) via M, V, P
- our act of measuring loses our ability to see other info -
observe more objectively by avoiding pre-conceived expectations
Leadership and the New Science has provided a whole new perspective on the
importance of information management systems. Below are a few
excerpts/interpretations that expand on this.
- information is the energy of universe, the basic ingredient, the
creative force of nature (ex: chromosomes and genes)
- information is traditionally seen as an inert, static thing; with a
quantum view, information is dynamic and alive, constantly changing - it
can not be managed
- info gives order and structure, prompts growth; it is the underlying
structure and dynamic process that breathes life into the organization -
it is far more than just content
- is a person a physical structure that processes info, or non-physical
info (genes, chromosomes) organizing itself into form ?
- our bodies are made up of atoms that are perhaps millions of years old;
our entire material makeup is found on the chemistry periodic chart; so
what's the difference between us and inert material, all of which is made
up of the same chemicals ? the difference is our body chemistry is
organized by information that gives it structure and order - life
- life can be defined as an information system that manifests itself
through the organization of matter; it evolves as it accumulates
information
- as an analogy, is an organization more like a inert machine, or a
living structure that values the generative, creative force of information
- info has the unique capacity to feedback on itself and generate more
info
- info organizes matter into form, resulting in physical structures
- the real system that endures (memory, DNA) is energy
- info must be continuously generated, no newness means decay, isolated
systems wind down (entropy); for systems to remain alive, info must be
continually generated; it is the primary source of nourishment; if not
available, people will make it up (rumors); because of its' importance,
it's no wonder "poor communication" inevitable make the list of
organizational problems
- need to create more info and have free circulation
- chaos is good in that it generates info; but we fear chaos, so info is
"controlled"; organizations must abandon control, circulate info and allow
self-organization and order to occur
- information freely generated and freely exchanged through relationships
is the intelligence of the organization
- don't take disturbances and fluctuations and average them out; rather
than looking for big trends or variations, look for the slight ones
- seek out information that is ambiguous, complex, of no immediate value;
info is spawned out of uncertain, chaotic circumstances
- keep the info flowing; tolerate ambiguity, complexity, lack of clarity,
and questions with no immediate answers; clarify the ambiguity by focusing
on the whole system rather than the parts - step back from it and focus on
the whole; observe the flow or movement of the system
- small findings can grow as the information folds back on itself,
building in significance with each new perception and interpretation,
revealing complexity hidden within the issue; creative responses emerge
and significant change is possible (predictive maintenance/history
analysis trending feedback
- create feedback and allow it to feedback on itself through group
reflection; listen to different interpretations and then process the info
together; allow conflicts and contradictions to rise to the surface - this
creates new info leading to new order; encourage questions that ask "why"
- bust the equilibrium- create some chaos; sharing reflections feedbacks
back info on itself, resulting in creative responses and change
- there is an increased value being placed on the capacity to generate
knowledge
If you got this far and want more, I have a more detailed set of notes.
Send me an E-mail and I will send you the full set.
--TFYY93A@prodigy.com (MR GEOFFREY F FOUNTAIN)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>