Clyde, [and many others as I have picked up this thread late in the day]
Like many others I ma sure that there is a place for artistry in
organisations. I think that people in the OD, Training, Management
Development and allied areas often operate in an 'artistic' way.
I had a boss once who set me the goal one year of "doing 80 days tapping
the boards" !! [in UK language that means being on stage, performing.] He
wanted me to do this to gain a particular set of experiences. To get the
stuff out of my mind into the organisational arena where it would have
value and where it would get refined. He used an 'artistic' metaphor very
appropriately.
Why is it difficult to get the notion of artistry more accepted?
In my opinion it is because learning is difficult. Artists tend to be much
more willing to learn. I took up ballroom dancing, with my wife recently,
and the most difficult thing to overcome was how foolish, uncomfortable I
felt at 'not being able to do it' Now I am more competent it is less
frightening (is this because I am more competent anyway or because I am
more comfortable with learning!!!!)
For artistry to be more acceptable in organisations the whole climate
relating to the willingness to learn, to take advice and feedback on
performance has to change. It is changing slowly and I hope that it will
speed up. I am always astonished how 'tough' musical master classes seem
when I observe them. And the students generally seem to relish the
feedback, criticism and advice.
Hope this is useful.
Ian
Ian Saunders
Transition Partnerships - Harnessing change for business advantage
tpians@cix.compulink.co.uk
--tpians@cix.compulink.co.uk (Ian Saunders)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>