Rol,
I find your diagnosis below, and your challenge to me, moving and
meaningful.
I agree that change requires awareness of what is the case now, reflection
on what one becomes aware of, a new perspective, and a willingness to shed
committments and ways of knowing that have been one's mental model for a
long time.
Can I return the challenge?
Are you able after all these years, and all your work and public
statements to become aware and accepting of the changes that have occurred
in the world since quantitative appraisals were introduced and embraced?
Medicines have side effects, Rol.
Can you look at the possibility that for many forms of work and for many
organizations your medicines have harmful side effects?
I grant you that it would be difficult for you, after all your work and
advocacy of one way of dealing with organizations, to change your
diagnosis and your prescriptions.
But it can be done, and I challenge you to try to find a better medicine
Steve Eskow
-----Original Message-----
From: Rol Fessenden <76234.3636@compuserve.com>
To: Learning Org <learning-org@world.std.com>
Date: Monday, February 23, 1998 12:10 AM
Subject: Employee Ranking Systems LO17137
>Replying to LO17075 --
>
>Steve,
>
>It is quite clear to me that we simply see different sides of the same
>issues, and value them differently. For you, Karl Shapiro's poem is an
>indictment of an appraisal system. For me, a reflective process resulted
>in attacking and changing a totally unacceptable discrimination. It was
>the reflection of the 60's that changed all that. The reason it went
>unchanged for so long was -- in my view -- that we were so unreflective
>about what we were doing except in a few esoteric circles.
>
>Our knowledge will always be less than perfect, so we will always create
>limited and imperfect systems. It is our duty as citizens and responsible
>members of society to reflect on all existing systems, and correct them
>wherever new knowledge has exposed some flaw. Only by reflecting will we
>ever identify the flaws. Only by sleep-walking through life can we avoid
>any assessment.
>
>Your comments about schools are good. So, I challenge you to reflect on
>the weaknesses and propose a new, better system that meets the needs of
>understanding students' knoweldge and thinking ability, and avoids the
>pitfalls of existing systems. Go ahead, evaluate, assess, criticize,
>think long and hard and deep, and come up with something better. You can
>only do so by criticizing the current state of affairs. Exactly my point.
>Only through awareness can growth occur. Only through assessment can
>awareness be born.
>
>Rol Fessenden
--"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>