How does our theory become practice? LO23653

Winfried Deijmann (deijmann@dialoog.net)
Thu, 16 Dec 1999 23:27:45 +0100

Replying to LO23597 --
Robert bacall wrote in answer to Rick:

> I think you will find that only a very small percentage of posts have
> anything to do with getting things done in a real work environment. Most
> are philisophical, metaphoric and often do not map easily onto the world
> of the practitioner. (BTW, there's nothing wrong with that, just not my
> cup of tea).
>
> Does this mean people aren't interested in applications? Well, we don't
> know since most people don't post (and you and I have gone through these
> issues before privately). But given it seems the majority of posts ARE
> about things other than application and "getting things done", it isn't
> surprising that one can draw the conclusion that people aren't interested
> in applications.

IMHO, the motiv for not sharing applications, Learning Histories and
real-life cases of good practice is fear for loss of provits, fear to be
copied, fear that others might run away with concepts, tools and
instruments. I have never understood that attitude. Philosophical and
metaphoric contributions are much more safe, and easier to hide behind. In
our modern culture it apparently is 'not done' (or assumed to be
dangerous?) to go public with one's deepest feelings and experiences.
Real-life contributions are often ignored or only replied to in privat,
Why? I think it is because they don't allow metaphoric replies or a quote.
I think it is because many people separate their biography from their
work, as if it were two different worlds they live in. Consequently those
people also must be deeply convinced that organizational learning is
something totally different from personal-individual learning although
they will disagree with loud voices. They also must be convinced that
learning is nothing else but a brain-thing and that "learning by heart"
only is a nice but wrong metaphor.

In my innocence I assumed that my contribution on the subject 'How does
our theory become practice? LO23610' would result in a load of replies and
contributions -and in the end- cumulate in a nice gift to Richard (and to
our selves). But it doesn't! Why? Too difficult questions for all of you
to answer: What did I (each participant) do (or didn't do) to make this
list to what it has become today? What is the theory behind the practice
and the success of this list? Too much trouble? Or is the idea that a
theory also can be developed out of practices too crazy for words?

greetings from snowy Holland,

Winfried Deijmann

-- 
Mr. Winfried M. Deijmann - Deijmann & Partners - Zutphen - The Netherlands
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