Donald Kelley wrote:
>UNICEF estimates that it would cost an additional $34 billion a year to
>meet the immunization, sanitation, education, food and water needs of all
>children in the world. ...
>What might the impact be for poor people of the world if key governmental
>or non-governmental organizations learned to operate as learning teams?
>... I'm curious who else is
>thinking about applying powerful learning tools to organizations that are
>often viewed as inept and beyond hope. Your thoughts?
I tend to keep my thoughts to myself about this sort of thing because they
generally raise such controversial public policy questions that
conversation breaks down. But I'll hazard a few thoughts here:
-- If the world hunger conference that met in Brazil some years ago had
practiced systems thinking, it might not have ended with the Pope calling
for increased food production and decrying birth control.
-- If governments practiced systems thinking, the result could be
widespread budget cutting and layoffs. The waste created by outdated
personnel, budgeting and purchasing systems is unimaginable.
-- Generally speaking, if governments focused on what's really happening
- i.e., the true dynamics of the social, economic and environmental world
and all their consequences - the focus would shift away from the personal
aggrandizement of officials, and politics as we know it would be
transformed. I can't imagine a political system where the elected and
appointed representatives of the people would have the confidence to tell
their constituents that they can't have what they want because it doesn't
promote the common weal.
Thanks for asking!
Dave
------------------------
* David E. Birren
Project Manager and Consultant,
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(608) 267-2442
"Teach your tongue to say 'I do not know' and you will progress."
-- Maimonides
--"Birren, David E" <BirreD@mail01.dnr.state.wi.us>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>