Dear Organlearners,
Greetings to all of you.
I could also have called this topic:
Using wrong solutions for same problem over and again.
I could even have called it:
Using the same solutions for different problems over and again.
Let us see why.
In my recent two contributions "The silent backlash of war. LO27989" and
"The silent backlash of win-lose politics. LO28000" it may seem that I do
not care for what is happening in Zimbabwe. My intention was to compare
leaders of Southern Africa to show what makes a person a great leader
rather than judging some of these leaders. I have made a mistake by not
expressing myself more clearly. Zimbabwe has deep problems which affect
the lives of thousands of people adversely, even as worse as violent
death.
Since I care for people, I am determined not to apply wrong solutions
which never did solve similar problems before. This would only increase
the plight of those already suffering as it happened before. I rather
want to find out what caused these problems in order to solve them as they
should be. If we do not understand any problem clearly, we cannot expect
at all to find its solution. Almost all problems consist of facts,
variables and relationships. Either the values of some variables or the
patterns of some relationships are unknown. The solution of the problem is
to find these unknowns such that they are consistent with dignified
living.
I have done extensive research on problem solving as I have sometimes
reported elsewhere on our LO-dialogue. I have taught pupils and students
for more than thirty years by making use of problems. Most of these
problems I have designed self or taken them from real life situations
rather than copying them from a text book. I abhor rote teaching even more
than rote learning. I have learned that formulating a problem and solving
it are by far not as difficult as guiding a learner who has an innate
problem in solving a formulated problem. I have observed that many
teachers and lecturers could signify to their pupils or students that they
have an innate problem in solving a formulated problem, but that few of
them could help these learners to solve such an innate problem
authentically. Few are aware of the double loop nature of authentic
problem solving.
We here in South Africa also had serious problems during the apartheid
era. For all these problems most the rest of the world had only one
solution -- put South Africa under sanctions and expel them from
international organisations. I was often astounded how those who applied
once again such wrong solutions to our problems, were not aware or did not
care how they increased the suffering of those already suffering because
of the very problems. I personally think that on a tacit level of thinking
they tried to impair with sanctions openness and with expulsion wholeness.
Openness and wholeness are two of the 7Es (seven essentialities of
creativity, the other five being liveness, sureness, fruitfulness,
spareness and otherness).
They may have assumed one of two cases. On the one hand, they might want
to signify with less openness and less wholeness to the offenders that
they have to seek for more openness and more wholeness to find a solution.
This assumption is foolish. It is like putting the light out and saying
that the path can then be seen more clearly. On the other hand, they might
think that with less openness and less wholeness the offenders will not be
able to offend so much, thus learning the contrary. This assumption is
also false because the less any of the 7Es, the more the offense.
Furthermore, the less the 7Es, the more difficult it becomes to create
constructively the correct solution.
After more than thirty years I am now sure that in order to create the
authentic solution for an authentic problem, an increased understanding of
creativity is necessary. This increased understanding, even on a tacit
level of knowing, involves a shift to a new level of insight before the
problem can be solved. The innate problem of a person not being able to
solve a formulated problem usually has to do with a dysfunctional
creativity of that person. Therefor, using destructive measures such as
sanctions and expulsions to solve political problems, is contra productive
to creating authentic solutions because openness and wholeness are
impaired further rather than repaired.
Sanctions and expulsions did South Africans far more harm than any good,
black citizens even more than white citizens. The fat cats leading our
country were smiling all the way. For example, these fat cats were always
able to find at the right price a person willing to sidestep these
sanctions and expulsions. Furthermore, these fat cats used their followers
to pay for such side stepping. Lastly, their followers were even willing
to pay much more just to show these instigators of sanctions and
expulsions that they cannot get away with applying a wrong solution to an
authentic problem. The evil of their leaders were far less than the evil
of those applying wrong solutions to authentic problems.
I am absolutely distraught at present leaders trying the same old wrong
solutions for problems which existed long before they even became leaders.
The worst strategy which they follow is that if a problem does not get
solved spontaneously by those who caused it, then they must be forced to
solve the problem non-spontaneously. Non-spontaneous problem solving is
just as impossible as finding a piece of steak in a dog kennel or a snow
ball in hell. Those who try to correct the offending leaders of a country
with sanctions and expulsions are trying to find a snow ball in hell. It
never worked before in any country and most likely it will never work in
future.
To keep on trying the same solution for a problem is one of the worst
Mental Models we may have. I have programmed a feature in my CAE (Computer
Assisted Education) lessons that students have to come and see me
personally when they try what is basically the same solution for the tenth
time to solve a problem. Many with tears in their eyes or anger burning
red on their cheeks would then say "The computer said I must come and see
you." I then used to ask them "What is the problem?" -- well knowing
which problems had this feature programmed in their guidance. They would
invariably answer me: "I have tried every possible solution, but the
computer does not want to accept it."
They usually did create solutions of several kinds. This was not their
innate problem. But what they invariably did, was to supply variations of
one kind of solution up to ten times. That is why they had to come and
consult me to prevent them wasting their time and free energy any more, or
demolishing the computer out of anger ;-) What they also not did were to
use my feedbacks (by way of programming) based on their wrong answers to
seek for kinds of solutions which they did not think of before. Their
Mental Model that a particular kind of solution should apply, even with
variations to it, were far stronger than all these feedbacks.
This personal consultation is something which I cannot do with a dumb
machine like a computer (or cannot do self as a dumb programmer of an
intelligent machine like a computer ;-) The student needs to be helped in
terms of his/her own articulations, i.e., his/her "personal mental
language". Thus I have to learn with questions during the consultation
this "personal mental language" of the student. Authentic problem solving
requires using knowledge "which lives within" rather than information
"which exists outside". I need to know what the student know rather than
the student needing to know what I know.
I also have to learn from some of the student's answers which of the 7Es
seem to be impaired. I usually have to make sure with further questioning
that they are indeed impaired. Finally, using the student's "personal
mental language", I tell the student what he/she has to be on the lookout
for when solving the formulated problem. In other words, I try to make the
student aware of his/her innate problem. I never try to solve that innate
problem for the student. Obviously, I also never give any hints to the
solution of the formulated problem.
This lack of information on the solution (actually two solutions ;-)
usually puzzles or annoys the students when I send them back
to their CAE lessons. They want me to point out some of the
rote problem solving they want to follow, but that I will never
do. However, almost invariably they would rush back to my
office, exclaiming with joy "I got it right". All which I then can
say to them is:
"Well done.
See that you have created the solution self.
Listen next time once again also to your heart."
Telling the students about the difference between information and
knowledge and how crucial it is to articulate their tacit knowing would
have been contra productive in the spirit of rote learning which reigns on
university. They have to experience it rather than me telling it. I
remember a particular woman student who failed most of her first year
courses because of rote learning. Elsje was intelligent and wanted to
become a medical doctor. But she lost all hope because of a sharp decline
in performance. What she was not aware of was that she tried rote problem
solving for all her learning problems. Its like tying the arms tight when
in the process of drowning. I had to let her experience authentic problem
solving several times before she could give up this tying up of rote
problem solving. She eventually qualified as medical doctor and afterwards
also as dentist with flying colours.
Modern leaders are no different to these students. I think that they are
unaware how much they and their followers have become victims of rote
learning and even worse, rote problem solving. For any leader to apply the
same wrong solution time and again to a serious authentic problem is a
most telling sign of rote learning for me. For the news media to do the
same, is only aggravating the suffering.
In a typical Western democracy leaders get elected for articulating with
deftness what their followers know by rote learning. Many leaders have
developed a formidable capacity to present their rote leadership to their
followers as authentic leadership. But if the followers follow only rote
learning like their leaders, how can they ever elect a leader following
authentic problem solving? This blindness of Western democracy to
authentic behaviour is perhaps its worst ailment. It may very well cause
the decline of Western democracy into nothing.
In authentic problem solving there is one vast difference between
non-human problems like chemical problems and human problems like
political problems. In authentic problem solving the correct solution is
seldom the first solution created. Then the errors in the first solution
have to be found so as to learn from them what to avoid in the second
solution. This process has to be repeated solution after solution until
the correct solution has been created. In non-human problems this cyclic
"weeding out the errors" can at most frustrate the problem solver. But in
human problems these errors, already in the first attempted solution, can
be catastrophic to the humans involved in the problem.
In the authentic problem solving of human problems this cyclic "weeding
out the errors" has to be avoided. All efforts have to focus on not making
errors in the first solution so that the first solution will also be the
correct one. Since most human problems are also complex problems, the
solutions to them will be complex. The more complex anything to be
created, the longer time its creation takes. Avoiding errors at each step
of the solution makes the creation time even longer!
It is exactly here where political leaders find them in a great dilemma in
Western styled democracies. The solutions to complex social problems will
take these leaders longer than their duration in office. They might get
re-elected so that they can solve the complex problem further. But they
usually try to solve only those problems for which the solutions can be
created within their duration of office so as to get political mileage for
the next election.
The world, including South Africa, had complex problems as a result of
WWI, for example the Great Depression in the early thirties. Jan Smuts,
the father of holism, was already a complexity thinker in his time. In
1934 he convinced the South African parliament to form a government of
national unity. That would give parliament sufficient time and solidarity
to solve these complex problems in the South African context. The two
major political parties united to become the United Party (UP).
Alas, Smuts' pleadings with other world leaders since the twenties that
WWII has to be prevented as much as possible fell on deaf ears. WWII came
and South Africa was sucked further into the complex problems of the
world. The national unity could not withstand these complex problems of
the world. Thus a new political party was formed with the ideology of
apartheid as its basis. This ideology was presented as the magic solution
of all our economical, political and social problems -- rote problem
solving at its very best. The UP with Smuts as leader lost the elections
in 1948. Wholeness became replaced by fragmentation="apartheid". It lasted
for 44 years, bringing unspeakable misery to the majority of South
Africans.
It is under such circumstances that I had to struggle learning
authentically about authentic problem solving. Perhaps I am a leader in
authentic learning. But the sweat and toil with which I try to make your
fellow learners aware of authentic learning, often makes me feel like an
imbecile making many mistakes. So I would rather prefer to be an authentic
learner of authentic problem solving for the rest of my life.
I am now reminded very much of Goethe's Faust. Mephistopheles could have
his soul under one condition:- when Faust becomes complacent in his
learning. I have encountered the past ten years many people who are very
unhappy about the course of events in the New South Africa. Most have
become complacent in their learning. They are like Faust who has lost his
bet with Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles took their souls.
Perhaps you are becoming aware in your own country of complex problems
developing. Perhaps you are becoming aware that the solution attempted is
bringing unspeakable miseries to many. Perhaps you are also feeling very
unhappy about the course of events in your country. Then I want to beg you
"Please do not become complacent in your learning." Mephistopheles will
also take your souls as Goethe predicted tow centuries ago.
Should the articulations of the LO have a similar blindness to authentic
learning, then such articulations will have little effect in promoting
LOs. LOs will come and go as in the past before the articulations of
Senge in his seminal "The Fifth Discipline" and we will be in no way wiser
to LOs.
When an OO (Ordinary Organisation) wants to transform itself into a LO, it
will have to face the fact that it will have to solve several complex
problems authentically. It will have to avoid rote problem solving. My
question now is: "Is the use of the Fifth Discipline and the Fieldbook as
the blueprint for the transformation into a LO rote problem solving or
not?"
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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