Winfried's poem and tale, and his context of selling seeds was a wonderful
way of clarifying much of what I do as a consultant. I've recently had
requests for ISO and QS 9000 quality systems training and implementation
assistance. I've done it all many times and often become very upset with
projects of this type. Often, they are being done not to improve the
organizational operating system, but to satisfy a customer requirement or
as a marketing ploy. In these cases, the underlying cultural issues are
usually taboo for the consultant. A box is being bought. Make it the
right size and put it in the right place. Such projects do not work. The
objective of registration may be met and I have done my job, but I haven't
met my own goal of helping people. These companies do not build a
relationship with the consultant, do not look at the next level, and often
feel smug about their new "system." They run their new software or
quality system in a clustered, jumbled place-an office filled with
disgruntled people, a factory cluttered with useless inventory, piles of
"stuff" made for money, without pride, love, or joy.
In others, you can feel the desire for excellence. These companies know
they are going to be given new tools and a systemic approach to the
control problem. They realize that a bureaucratic approach will not help
them, will not make people get up early to come to work and stay longer to
enjoy it. Here, it's not just procedures and flow charts, but the
foundations of quality, a desire for learning and excellence. No, we do
not sell Personal Mastery or Shared Values, or Mental Models. We
strengthen hope and joy and knowledge. Whether the entry point to this
desire to learn is ISO 9000 or training in Groupware or intranetting, an
Organizational Learning, or Open Book Management Seminar, it can be sensed
immediately. The size and location of the box are meaningless. It's the
first day of school in another year of discovery for these companies.
I do not see the ones who want to buy boxes. To the ones who want to
learn, to know, and to practice....I see you!!!
-- jzavacki@wolff.com John Zavacki The Wolff Group 800-282-1218 http://www.wolff.com/Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>