On Friday, July 18, 1997 9:26 AM, John P. Crutcher wrote:
> I agree whole heartedly with Mr. Benjamin. Living systems, such as
> organizations or mammals, seek stability in order to survive.
John,
Living systems in the way you interpret them may seek stability, but
stasis is the enemy of living systems. Here's why. The environment
constantly changes. Each iteration produces demands on the inhabitants to
adapt, evolve and change. Those that continually seek stasis become
extinct!
If we begin referring to our organizations as living systems, then we can
see clearly this function of stasis. Market pressures continually place
demands on our organizations. Failing to adapt makes organizations
extinct. I think Jack Welsh said it, "control your own destiny or someone
else will."
We seek stability in order to gain control over complexity, fear and
uncertainty. However, it is an illusion and a costly one at that!
Just a thought,
-
mike
quarterback@msn.com
--"Mike Jay" <Quarterback@msn.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>