I disagree with most everything that Simon says about the place and
possibility of teams. They seem to work just fine. They are saving my
company hundreds of thousands of dollars in the last two years because the
collective has for the time being found a means and a voice for cohesive
activity. Could be it'll change again in ten years toward self-directed
groups. Who knows.
First, there is a collective intelligence which can sometimes be superior
to the genius of the individual when a group faces a complex task. Even if
the solutions to certain problems, or the outcomes of certain process
planning, were to incur Simon's brand of "overhead," there is something
else to consider: the human contact which may in some cases lead to
greater understanding among women and men who are striving for a MUTUALLY
ACCEPTABLE OUTCOME. There's something cold about Simon's world.
It's a fact of the age that nanosecond decisions are in some instances de
rigueur. Nice. It is also said that the best technical rock climbers are
not those in their 20's who are lithe, quick and strong, and at a physical
peak. Rather, the best are often those a bit older who take time to
consider the next placement of a piton, the relationship of one handhold
to the next, the insertion of a chock for maximim security and effect.
"...Traditional organized collectivist structures are too static these
days," says Simon. Could be. So, are you saying throw out the baby with
the bath water? Change the water? Increase the temperature? Avoid bathing?
When I reread my postings, I try hard to avoid generalizing in such a way
as to include everybody or everything in an observation. "Try 'some', or
'occasionally', or 'perhaps', etc. It could be that I'm simply missing a
didactic tool which adds force to o ur discussion by avoiding imperatives
and proclamations about how life "is" or "is not."
I would have Monsieur Oglivy spend more time in parks (perhaps he doesn't
have the time, because he's working more efficiently alone in an effort to
avoid static team stuff), where, for his edification (no pun intended), he
WOULD find statues of teams of people representing both the apex and nadir
of human endeavor. Lessons learned.
Regards,
--Barry Mallis bmallis@markem.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>