Re: Organizational integration LO976

Gerry Starnes (gstarnes@pegasus.tha.org)
Thu, 27 Apr 1995 18:59:31 -0500

Noel Dickover, replying to David Birren, in LO949 --

I read through your response several times. I agree completely with your
observations. Being in the midst of a very dedicated, but none-the-less
relatively clueless horizontal wannabe organization, I can easily track
the difficulties. It is SO difficult for a vertically oriented
organization to change to a horizontally oriented one. The primary problem
is that the management structure is by both training and experience
diametrically opposed to the change. IMHO, they simply cannot grasp the
concept; they have no foothold on which to build a new structure.

Our organization has provided an overwhelming amount of training, and
there is a very supportive initiative from the CEO and COO. Yet, it is
more than a little possible that even they do not understand completely
the ramifications of what they are proposing ... and if they did, one
wonders if they really would want to go through with the transformation.

As far as management training goes, there are those who think they grasp
the concept and see it as not so different after all. "The core prinicples
of managment are still the same!" they say. Others look at it as "just
another managment fad. We'll get back to *real* management after a while."
And won't they just be the smartest thing by avoiding the fad!

Left in the middle are lower-level and relatively new managers (among
which I consider myself, BTW) who see the OVERWHELMING potential of making
the transition, but are faced with a real dilemma: hang in there and work
to change the organization from within (ie., stay inside and be passed
over for promotions while the old-line managers work out their world view)
or leave for a hopefully better opportunity elsewhere. In either case, the
results may be unpleasant for the worker; in the latter case, the
organization also loses from attrition of talent and entrenchment of the
senior managers.

It is a real problem for my organization -- as hopeful as I am about it,
and as much innovative progress as I believe we have made, as I have
shared in other threads. What is amazing to me is that the changes we have
made have occured with the active blessing of the top-level staff (who at
least know they don't really know what they are doing) and the nearly
total non-involvement of the second tier of senior staff, who seem only to
be amused by the effort. (Notice I am using the hierarchial "tier," which
still exists. Even the CEO and COO cannot envision what an organizational
chart would look like otherwise, though they have asked our design staff
to draw one! Need I say much more?)

Oh well. I remain hopeful. You just hit a soft spot.

gerry starnes
gstarnes@pegasus.tha.org
(New address: I'm moving my mail.)