Replying to LO14927
Scott Simmerman was put 'WAY off-balance' by the possible suggestion that
purposeful selflessness might be exclusively claimed by Christians as
theirs.
He continues:
> I don't think Steve is suggestion that people or organizations not
> "bofiGtJC" cannot have any attributes of a Learning Organization
> nor that all people who profess "bofiGtJC" do have all of those
> attributes.
He's right. I'm not suggesting a monopoly for 'born of faith in God
through Jesus Christ'. However I am pleased at the 'off-balance' effect
because it is conducive to learning in individuals and organisations.
Transformative change seems to occur by 'falling off'.
> I don't want to start a flame war or another of those holier than
> thou discussions but we need to continually recognize that this list
> and organizations of ALL types throughout the world can share LO
> attributes without having to adhere to a single particular dogma.
> Guess my belief is that a dogma runs in the face of LO principles
> and also those of critical reflection, continuous continuous
> improvement and personal growth and development.
There needn't be a flame war, because Christian faith doesn't essentially
equal dogma and doesn't exclude critical reflection. It is arguably the
basis for the success of modern science. Christian faith demonstrably
frees people and their potential in purposefull selflessness. That doesn't
mean that Christians are uniformly purposefully selfless or free. Neither
does it preclude non- Christians achieving these qualities too. However
with Christian faith comes personal transformation, growth, wholeness and
release of potential. From that comes comes potential for organisational
transformation. God speaks through diversity. Adherence to Christianity is
not required. Christain faith and understanding is advocated.
> I'm reminded of the client organization whose top leadership
> expoused, with positive intentions, this as a Mission / Vision /
> Belief for their organizational betterment program:
>
> "We manage with uncompromising integrity."
>
> and whose workers "remodeled it to reflect more of what actually happens:
>
> "We manipulate with inflexible rightousness."
>
> Faith in Leadership is sometimes a problem.
Faith within Leadership isn't the problem. Dogmaism and its associated
concept of integrity is. So too is relativism and its associated concept
of integrity. Faith of followers in their all too human leader is
sometimes a problem.
This IS fun.
Steve Barnett
Lecturer, School of Management, Manukau Institute of Technology,
Manukau City, Auckland, New Zealand.
e-mail: sbarnett@manukau.ac.nz
--"Steve Barnett" <sbarnett@mit.manukau.ac.nz>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>