Replying to LO28345 --
Alan writes,
>All this garbage about complexity in management doesn't take into account
the unwritten and misunderstood rules of an >organisation.
Yes, many complexity gurus;-) are in fact;-) just 'manipulators of
language'. They are exceptionally 'clever' people. I myself no longer
have much to do with many of them for that very reason. I was informed by
someone who knows far more than me, being simple minded, that they are
also 'racist' and 'sexist' and I have yet to draw any firm conclusions.
Certainly judging from the opening paragraph of a flagship paper the ICCS
conference (1998) the are contemptuous of managers who live day by day in
the environments (systems) of which they are a legitimate but non
operative parts. " Some in attendance (of the conference) even agreed with
the phrasing - "American managers are fond of the word guru because they
aren't sure of how to pronounce the word charlatan."
I think what you'll find Alan is that for every page a complexity 'guru'
or 'charlatan' writes there are ten thousand 'hidden' pages of
'references'. I think most managers can actually pronounce charlatan, and
that is why they don't get the lucrative contracts they'd like to get as
the next best thing to happen in consulting. Though some make a good fist
at it;-).
You'll also find it is quite an 'inbred community' where hidden dynamics
operate over time.
The real 'bottom line' is that they can 'talk' it, and boy do they talk
it.... but not 'do' it.
Keep up the good work Alan.
Best wishes
Andrew
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