Replying to LO25887
Malcolm writes:
>... But the tenor of their remarks does seem to me to deprecate the
>efforts of front-line practitioners like myself, whose organizations and
>personal professional possibilities make total immersion in formal
>programs out-of-reach, and who rely on the LO approaches begun by "The
>Fifth Discipline" to improve our workplaces.
> From the vantage of my own learning and practice, the simple tools we
>have learned make a difference. Am I just deluding myself? If we can't
>have Systems Dynamics in its fullness, should we just fold our tents?
If we accept that 'systems thinking' is mere first-aid (with my inference
that 'systems dynamics' then is brain surgery) my question is this: how
many brain surgeons do we need? How many people proficient in first aid
do we need?
Frankly, I would like nearly everyone to understand something about first
aid. That way when I need it (and at some point I likely will) there will
be lots of folks who can help, readily available, and for no fee. On the
other hand, when I need brain surgery (which I probably won't) I will
gladly pay a premium price but I expect supremely qualified people.
In my mind it's a matter of matching the skills or competencies or
whatever to the scale of the problem. And, with some fear of possibly
offending the brain surgeons in the audience, I detect a certain arrogance
in the attitude that if you don't know brain surgery, then you really
don't know anything useful.
Michael A
- Michael Ayers
Mailto: mbayers@mmm.com Voice (651) 733-5690) FAX (651) 737-7718
IT Prof.Dev. 3M Center 224-2NE-02 PO Box 33224 St. Paul MN 55133-3224
Sometimes the right question is, 'Are we asking the right question?'
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