On Tue, 18 Nov 1997 18:44:55 -0500 (EST), learning-org-digest
Mattias Hultheimer & Peter Palmqvist, Linkvping University wrote:
>One of the main issues in the "knowledge-based" company seems to be how to
>keep the competence. Naturally many companies become sceptical towards
>investing in the "human factor" to increase the company's knowledge if the
>person invested in can leave the organization at any time, taking the
>investment with him/her.
This question illustrates what Paulo Friere called a "banking" model of
learning and by extension, human competence... The banking model brings a
mechanical representation of knowledge - knowledgge as another form of
capital. It profoundly misconstrues the actual nature of capital, human
being and consciousness - the forms in which they are expressed, the way
they function in social and economic systems and the contingent
relationships between them.
The idea that the person can "take the investment with him/her" is
shallow, short-sighted and narrow-minded (IMHO). One of my clients
(mining industry) "invests" heavily in staff development. Competence
gained through education and training enables them to move on to better
work - and in some cases to work opportunities in other companies. They
remain in the industry and retain high regard for an ethical company -
that looked after their personal and professional interests. virtue is
its own reward, but virtue also brings material rewards in diverse and
surprising ways. When I started working in a State Government job, I was
told that "the foot you step on today is attached to the arse you have to
kiss tomorrow".
BTW the company (Merit Lining Systems) was listed by Business Review
Weekly in 1997 as the sixth fastest growing company in Australia, measured
over the last five years.
>We ask ourselves to what extent this is really a
>problem. Isn't it really a matter of trying to convert much of the
>individual capital into structural capital so that it stays in the
>organization independently of its actors?
It may be, it might also be that we are talking about organisational
culture as much as "structure" - neither of which are solid, they are
nonetheless the substance of the enterprise. nothing "stays" as such,
things evolve, the organisation battles against entropy, the individual
against anomie.
A few random thoughts, good luck with your dissertation.
Neil
Kelly Consulting Pty Ltd Development Strategies
PO Box 5769 Tel 617 3844 8077
West End Q. 4101 Fax 617 3255 0360
AUSTRALIA <nkelly@mailbox.uq.edu.au>
--"Neil Kelly" <nkelly@mailbox.uq.edu.au>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>