I am now receiving a few msgs a week saying, "The LO dialogue is too
distant, too theoretical, and long winded; a few people are monopolizing
the air-time! I want to read more practical pieces, about creating
learning in organizations like mine, and it's harder to find them."
I, too, am concerned about the current state of our dialogue. I also have
great worries about trying to change it! As creator and host of
learning-org, I know that I cannot determine the flow of discourse here.
But, I have learned that my actions and policies as host DO influence the
flow.
Now, at the sixth anniversary of this learning-org dialogue, I have
decided to take some actions, and I will ask all of you to take some
actions as well.
1. It's a problem when a few individuals take too much of the "air
time." Therefore, I ask that At de Lange and every author send no more
than a couple of msgs a day to the list, especially if any are long. I
will also ask the most prolific writers to pause in order to leave room
for others to respond first to new inquiries. (In parallel, I ask all who
have been wanting to write, please seize this opportunity!)
2. The balance of our conversation has shifted too far away from the
practical. I ask everyone, PLEASE SAY WHAT YOU WANT. Ask questions, say
what is uncertain for you. If you cannot formulate a good question,
describe the questions you would like others to ask. And, please write
about your practical experiences in trying to advance organizational
learning! Many of you have written me saying you'd like more practical,
applied discussion here. In order to have that, you MUST speak up! Please
say what you want!
3. There is room for artistic pieces along with conventional discourse,
but here on learning-org the connection to organizational learning should
be made in clear text. I ask that Andrew Campbell and anyone else
authoring a creative piece provide a plain-language introduction. Further,
I may place the artistic piece itself on the web and distribute only the
introduction in our message stream. (This opens the possibility of
formatting, graphics, and illustrations which have not been possible here
to date. Andrew, I hope you'll show us some of your paintings!) I'll
announce details later.
4. There will be differences amongst us! I ask all readers to notice
which authors and subjects are a "fit" for you and delete msgs from those
which are not. There is absolutely no expectation that you read every msg!
And, unlike other internet spaces, it is perfectly OK to ask a question
that has appeared in the past... It will be different since it comes in a
new voice and from a new context. (If it's really a repeat, I'll privately
give you a pointer to the prior writings.)
5. Tolerance and diversity are especially important here! We will learn
about creating learning organizations by creating one here! I have learned
much from the writers who initially seemed distant and difficult to me.
But each reader has to make this decision for themself. Until you are
ready, just use the "delete" key and don't let those msgs frustrate you!
6. Feedback is essential for a healthy system. There is a special danger
in a dialogue like ours where many readers do not write. At ANY TIME,
please write with your comments. There are three options: to me privately,
to the list publicly, and to the list anonymously. (Just make sure it's
clear to me which you intend.)
7. In my role as host, I operate with a number of other principles which I
intend to hold unchanged. (e.g. msgs must not reflect disrespect for
others in the dialogue, msgs must be related to org learning, no
duplicates or repeats, short commercial notices are OK, etc.) For more
complete details, see
http://www.learning-org.com/LOinfo.html
I wish to add one more thought: There are no winners or losers in this
change, and this is not a slap on the hand for anyone... I just think the
balance has drifted a bit from where we want it to be. I have named At and
Andrew specifically here, but my policies apply to all. To At and Andrew,
I have enjoyed your contributions and have learned much from you... and I
am one of those who finds your writing difficult. I do hope you'll stay
with us!
** Now, please reply to this message with any comments **
** on our dialogue, my assessments or my planned actions! **
-=- Rick Karash, your host for learning-org
--Richard Karash ("Rick") | <http://world.std.com/~rkarash> Speaker, Facilitator, Trainer | mailto:Richard@Karash.com "Towards learning organizations" | Host for Learning-Org Discussion (617)227-0106, fax (617)523-3839 | <http://www.learning-org.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <Richard@Karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>
"Learning-org" and the format of our message identifiers (LO1234, etc.) are trademarks of Richard Karash.