the issue raised by Andrew Wong, Organisation Observer and Thinker:
<snip> the whole underlying System/Structure which in a large way acts as
a driving force, resulting in the type of 'behaviors' of people (to which
interpersonal techniques are applied). And the resulting paradigm created
that directly, or indirectly consciously or unconsciously affect,
influence the type of behavior, thinking pattern. <snip>
This issue was discussed at length in sociological literature some time
ago, under the general topic "social structure versus human agency." That
is, the relationship between the structured (viz a viz sensible) ways of
thinking, feeling and behaving created by social institutions on the one
hand, and the potential for freedom of thought, feeling and action
deriving from the individual on the other.
A few things I recall which interested me at the time were, first the
"dialectical" relationship between social structure and human agency -
that they constitute and are constituted by each other, second, that
structured ways of feeling, thinking and behaving are the "stuff" of
social institutions, third, that the "hidden curriculum" of social
institutions is deeply embedded and taken for granted. Such things as
behaving in a generally sensible and well mannered way are simply the
mundane rituals, the most obvious "tip of the iceberg" of social
institutions. Below the waterline lies not only "that which is not
courteous to discuss", but also the unconscious political reality, the
knowing in your bones, of your position in the scheme of things.
neil kelly
feral thinker
They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
for trying to change the system from within.
- Leonard Cohen.
--"Neil Kelly" <nkelly@mailbox.uq.edu.au>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>