Roxanne,
I think that you have a lot in your favor. Obviously the CEO has his mind
made up; as he made up his mind originally, he can change his mind.
Remember, one of the first steps in change is to create dissatisfaction
with the present state. You can help him change his mind through
experience. Since he is eager to go to an executive development course,
design one for him that includes experiential activities which bring him
into contact, interaction, communication, and collaboration with blue
collar workers. Lack of trust, avoidance, and stereotyping are
symptomatic and are fertile fields to sow.
What a woderful opportunity awaiting him (and you!).
At 01:42 PM 10/1/97, you wrote:
>I am working with a company that is striving to make a culture shift in
>conjunction with a total quality initiative. The CEO is aware that he is
>stuck in an outdated mental model related to his view of the role of
>management vs. workers and he is looking for an executive development
>experience that would help him understand and appreciate the benefits of
>employee involvement and empowerment. He seems to have a deep conviction
>that blue collar workers want to work as little as possible for as much
>pay as possible. He doesn't trust them or believe that they care about
>the organization, so why would he give them any power. He dosn't talk
>with the people and is not open to coaching but is eager to go to an 4-5
>day executive development course. Any recommendations?
>
>Roxanne Abbas
>rabbas@comp-web.com
>http://www.comp-web.com
Richard J. Scherberger, Jr.
Senior Partner
Executive Leadership Skills
Voice:913-727-1137
Fax: 913-727-3129
--richard scherberger <rshrbrgr@lvnworth.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>