Bill Bray posted "Question on The Fifth Discipline LO20779" and had
questions anout a "gap" when referring to the process of introspection
between Mental Models and Personal Mastery.
(Note: This note is an attempt to add a little information AND a little
humor to the discussion list, which has been shifting to a more serious
side for quite some time. Please report all complaints to webmaster and
systems thinking guru Rick Karash and not directly to the author ;-) )
He asked:
>My question is, how does the gap serve as a "tool" to process through
>the interconnected phases of your five disciplines?
Others here will be much more able to post about Senge's thinking but my
model of the world would suggest that the "gap" between self-perception of
current state and some perception of "desired state" will generally cause
motivation toward closing the gap. It is somewhat aligned with
Festinger's model of Cognitive Dissonance."
Positive motivation will occur when the gap is not too great. Frustration
can occur if the end state is perceived to be unreachable. And
self-perception may not be accurate or even in awareness unless is is
facilitated in some manner (often through coaching or analysis using the
tools of systems thinking or discussion).
I trust that this helps; it is grounded in NLP and some other disciplines.
It is also a significant part of my change model, linked to the motivating
aspect of perceived "discomfort with the way things are now."
But I became "concerned" when Bill starts using examples like:
>The cart and the wheel have no relationship without an axle,(or function),
>and without a hole through the cart wheel, (the absences of space),the axle
>has no place to seat in. It is the very lack of function that is the most
>functional part!
I appreciate Bill's considered attempt at humor and insight. But as the
LO's "local subject matter expert" on carts, wheels, and the like, some
may feel that it needs to be pointed out that the spaces in the wheel in
and of themselves may reasonably be the causal factor for a variety of
problems.
Simply having a wheel, round or square, and an axle is not a prerequisite
for operational effectiveness since there may be no rim or the holes do
not match the axle. And these non-existent spaces create significant
problems in application when they are not centered or spaced properly,
even when meeting stated organizational specifications.
Proper personal mastery of carts, wheels and rims requires careful
consideration of a variety of "gapping" factors including proper wheel
inside diameter and synergy with correct rim outside diameter, the need
for an inflation device of some type unless the wheel is solid or "run
flat," as well as an axle of the proper length and strength.
Additionally, there is the whole issue of performance and delivery
standards. To that, I will post a story that appeared elsewhere and yet
should be of interest and potential relevance:
How Specifications Live Forever
The US Standard railroad gauge (the distance between the rails) is 4 feet,
8.5 inches. That is an exceedingly odd number. Why was that the gauge
used? Because that is the way they built them in England, and the US
railroads were built by English expatriates. Why did the English build
them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same
people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they
used.
Why did "they" use that gauge? Because the people who built the tramways
used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which
used that wheel spacing. Okay! Why did the wagons use that odd wheel
spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagons would
break on some of the old, long distance roads because that's the spacing
of the old wheel ruts.
So who built these old rutted roads? The first long distance roads in Europe
were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have
been used ever since. And the ruts? The initial ruts, which everyone else
had to match for fear of destroying their wagons, were first made by Roman war
chariots. Since the chariots were made for or by Imperial Rome there were all
alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
Thus, we have the answer to the original question. The United States
Standard railroad gauge of 4 feet 8.5 inches derives from the original
specifications for an Imperial Roman army war chariot. Specs and
bureaucracies live forever. So, next time you are handed a specification
and wonder what horse's ass came up with it, you may be exactly right.
Because the Imperial Roman chariots were made to be just wide enough to
accommodate the back-ends of two war horses.
from the Internet - source unknown
The other critical leadership factor involves completly supporting the
team for their dedication and persistence! Over time, this helps to
increase the distance of "the gap" so that a leap may be made more likely.
It is the building of personal confidence for creating change in the
system,
--For the FUN of It!
Scott J. Simmerman, Ph.D. Performance Management Company - 800-659-1466 <mailto:Scott@SquareWheels.com>
A great source for FREE tools and training resources: <www.SquareWheels.com>
"Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy." The Eagles, from "Take it Easy"
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>