Simon Buckingham wrote:
> Ed and I will never agree: different generations, different lives,
> different worlds. Collective structures such as organizations have nothing
> to do with revealing our true selves- on the contrary, it is impossible to
> find our true selves in an organization- because the excessive structure
> (job procedures, reporting relationships, task setting and so on) prevents
> effective learning. An individual can never overcome organizational debris
> such as politics, cultire, offices and hierarchy sufficiently to explore
> let alone reach their full potential within an organization. They stay
> because they do not realize that there are viable alternatives- more
> dynamic forms of organizations such as collapsible corporations.
What a wonderful sharing of ideas reflecting different perspectives.
Simon, I certainly know where you're coming from in your analysis of
organizational problems. Most of the organizations I have seen resemble
your remarks.
Yet, there may be models that are more authentically human than the ones
you've described--and I think that Ed's idea that we're born to be in a
community deserves some thought.
I had the great opportunity to listen to Harrison Owen (of Open Space
fame) speak at a learning circle co-sponsored by Antioch University and
the Open Space Institute in Seattle. His description of the origins of
the idea were quite intriguing (and reminded me of David Hurst's story of
the San people of the Kahalari Desert). He spoke of people who live in
communities that are self-organizing, complex and centered around the
chemistry created by the relationships that make them a community.
The essential difference between the organizations that Simon speaks
of--and the communities that Harrison mentioned (and David wrote about)
is in their purpose. Organizations generally externalize their purpose
(production, acquisition, service) and communities generally internalize
their purpose (relationships, mutual defense, safety, security). When
organizations begin behaving like communities, when they feel like
extended families, then they don't look like Simon's organizational
picture.
Now we know that municipalities don't necessarily follow the community
model (Debbie Broome has reminded us of that)--but even in the small city
in which I live, we have many different communities (some geographic, some
interest based, some religious, and so on). In this learning organization
list, we often resemble a community (to my mind, at least), where the
single-most important feature are the relationships that are realized,
waning and waxing like all relationships do.
Perhaps Ed and Simon are not so far apart as Simon thinks. I don't know.
I believe, though, that even those misanthropes or hermits who live apart
still exist within the context of the larger community.
regards,
Doc
-- "The way out is via the door. Why is it that no one will use this method?" -ConfuciusRichard C. "Doc" Holloway Your partner for workforce development Visit me at http://www.thresholds.com/community/learnshops/index.html Or e-mail me at <mailto:learnshops@thresholds.com> Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2361 Phone: 01 360 786 0925 Olympia, WA 98507 USA Fax: 01 360 709 4361
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>