Ed wrote that:
> But the core of the LO is really about how to live a
> fulfilling human life in the midst of a modern, complex, hierarchical
> organization. Maybe...
Richard replied:
>Maybe not.... Some, including myself, see the LO principles as guides for
>organisational development, i.e. a roadmap for the teachers as well as the
>learners
This dialog is quite interesting to me having been going through a process
to get unorganization established around the world and see the same sort
of development trajectory as discussed here with Senge's LO. Basically, an
individual picking up an organizational development idea they like such as
LO or unorg can either implement it in their current organization or leave
and set up a new organization which practices those ideas. Much depends on
the individual "change agent" and the extent to which they can control or
persuade other resources in the organization. If they can effect visible
change in their area of the company with tangible results, then they can
implement an LO experiment in their company. If they are repressed and
repelled by managers and procedures in the organization when they try to
make a change, then they may have to leave to make that change.
>From my observations over the past couple of years implementing unorg,
some large companies such as the South African Broadcasting Corporation
have been able to successfully implement radical, large scale change- this
was enabled by powerful, visionary leaders and an absolute necessity to
change or die given the collapse of apartheid and their broadcasting
monopoly (See http://www.unorg.com/sabc2.htm). But many other individuals
seeking to enact change have found the necessoity to leave their existing
organization to do so- and sought likeminded partners. In fact, in the
case of unorg, the overwhelming majority of change has come from such
individuals.
In both forms of change, large org and small org, a visionary change agent
is a pre-requisite. Not someone who is scared of change or scared to see
their position being transformed. In my view, all change begins with the
individual- whether they enact that change in someone else's organization,
large or small, or their own, depends on the circumstances (other people's
willingness to change).
My strategy with unorg is to find the change agents and encourage them to
change. Who knows what such exciting people will achive in the future?
regards, sincerely simon buckingham, unorganization: business not busyness!
http://www.unorg.com/indiv.htm
--"Simon Buckingham" <go57@dial.pipex.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>