R. Holloway writes:
"I consider that thinking of complex organizations (and I'm including
every possible form of human organization within this context) as "living"
is a significant shift from the mechanistic, reductionist perspective that
I was encultured in. The people who have influenced my point of view
includes Ortega y Gasset, Maturana, Capra, Drucker, and contributors to
this list (At de Lange, Cliff Hamilton, along with others)."
If we on this list are also a "learning organization" we will experience
at times the need for "creative abrasion": the mechanical, reductionist
"friction" of ideas that clash and collide.
Doc, I have read and been deeply influenced by the four authors you cite.
Of the four, only Capra can be read as holding or believing that
organizations are "living." Drucker would label that notion sheer
nonsense. Maturana uses biology to explain how the human mind engages and
couples and structures external data to create form and meaning: he does
not endow such meaning structures with "life." Ortega y Gassett as far as
I know does not rely on biological metaphors to a great extent.
Drucker , for example, has been writing about the "the knowledge society"
and "knowledge workers" for 50 years without accepting any of the grand
narratives currently in vogue about the failure of the Enlightenment and
the shift from a Cartesian and Newtonian world to a shiny new paradigm; he
continues to look closely at the actual workings of the world and does not
explain the shifts and changes with a single monadic overarching
explanation.
Some of us, as you say, cling to old narratives because we are afraid to
change.
Some of us rush eagerly to the bookstore to read about the paradigm shift
of the month.
I look forward to the dialog: I learn from these exchanges with colleagues
who are alive, even though I don't share their believe that this listserv
is alive.
Cheers.
Steve Eskow
Dr. Steve Eskow
President, The Electronic University Network
288 Stone Island Road
Enterprise, Florida 32725
Phone: 407-321-8770; Fax: 407-321-4861
email: dreskow@magicnet.net
--"Dr. Steve Eskow" <dreskow@magicnet.net>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>