Replying to LO27920 --
Dear Organlearners,
Fred Nickols <nickols@att.net> writes:
>(snip) ... After months of work, most of the employees
>were wondering what had been accomplished. As far
>as I know they're still wondering. Yet, at least one VP,
>implicitly acknowledging the lack of results directly tied
>to the consulting firm's efforts, regularly reminded his
>direct reports that the effort would be viewed as
>successful. The clear message was that the CEO's
>engagement of the firm would not be questioned let alone
>challenged.
Greetings dear Fred,
Your description above has moved my spirit. I do not know how much this
issue occurs in your country or others, but in my country it is pandemic.
Do not question the boss if you want to live safely. With such an issue
ruling, nothing will make a difference in the long run.
It reminds me of myself. Up to ten years ago I never was aware that
society indoctrinated me not to question God which society made the Boss
of its Perception of God's Creation. Only then God began to show me how
much in the Bible God urges me to question God endlessly because then God
can teach me best. Well, today I know also that soiety does not worry at
all when I question God in private. But what society will not allow at
all, is for me to do it openly.
The single biggest problem which I have to overcome in helping any person
to learn authentically, is not to be afraid to ask questions. It is most
important for a learner to ask questions for it is the most powerful way
for that learner to delve into his/her tacit knowledge. A question is most
curious in the sense that once it has been formulated in words, part of
the answer is in that very words. This part of the answer is in the formal
level of knowledge. The rest of the answer is in the tacit level or some
of it is even lower down in the experential level. The learner know it,
but cannot yet tell it.
>Rigorous evaluation is rare and, owing to the
>inability to control the variables in question, the
>results are usually inconclusive and open to
>different interpretations.
It reminds me of the immense difference between Multivariate Regression
Analysis (MRA) and Path Analysis (PA). In MRA the "becoming" of the
variables is not questioned whereas in PA certain variables (or probably
even a collection of them) are pointed out which ought to have been taken
into account.
>In my radical behaviorist days, all the claims
>made for large-scale organizational interventions
>would have qualified in technical terms as
>"superstitious behavior."
I like this one, especially because it reminds me of my own "radical
behaviorist days" ;-) I wonder how many other fellow learners also had
such "radical behaviorist days" somewhere in their past? I like such
"radical behaviour" in a learner because it shows the learner is learning
emergently, but perhaps I should not have said it for my own safety ;-)
With care and best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@gold.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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