Linked to LO15294 by your host...
Hi everyone,
Just a thought or two on Winfried's insights on organizations.
Selflessness is a worthy goal in any team effort, especially in the
synergy of "coevoltionary context" that Winfried alludes to. One caution,
though, is the loss of selfhood in a collective, groupthink process, one
that erases the unique value and aspects of individuality. Martin Buber
speaks of communication and dialogue as a twofold process: (1) "the
primal setting at a distance," in which a person is established as
separate, special and to respected in his or her own right, and (2)
"entering into relation," in which the participants in any meaningful
encounter begin to meet in the "between zone" of their individualities.
Never does a person lose that individual differentiation that is properly
and substantially his or hers, but rather freely enters into a dialogue
with the other, what A.L. Becker cites as "legitimizing the presence of
the other."
In organizations, the respect for person, position, and discipline
(whether finance, operations, sales, etc.) are primary to forming
relations, not necessarily better, but first to establish the ground for
meaningful relationships. Marlee Matilin in "Children of a Lesser God"
has a great line when speaking with lover, William Hurt: "We cannot
connect into a we until I am respected as an I, first."
All my best, Ernie
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>