Re: Handling Power and Politics LO2331

DwBuff@aol.com
Fri, 4 Aug 1995 17:31:36 -0400

Handling Power and Politics LO2294

In LO2294, Michael McMaster writes about ,

>>Read the archives for lengthy discussion of this on the list.
Why? Because the dialogue surfaced much and settled nothing.
This is one of those words which is loaded with inference and emotive
force but has little agreement in its foundations, uses or resolutions.
My recommendation is to reject the word as one which obscures
what we are trying to talk about and talk more plainly about intentions
and processes that we are for or against.<<

Discussing the broad meaning behind the word "manipulation"
on this LO list was also surprise to me. Then I realized the
questions and answers were of a much bigger nature, perhaps
similar to what I have been hearing from those around me. I
don't find the inference and emotive force around manipulation as
strong as the words Learning Organization implying that MHO
IS NOT a learning organization. A 100 year-old company must
have created a little bit of knowledge along the way.

So, internally I have to talk about becoming a RAPID learning
organization. It helped make the distinction. Funny about
how the LO group worries about making distinctions when the
generic concept name which we rally around suggests to
organizations they HAVE BEEN, ARE, WILL BE doing something
wrong if they don't join the bandwagon. Intuitive arguments from
inside and outside of my company tells me people are aware that
they already are learning organizations or they would have
disappeared as organizations already.

But, on to the related point. One of the exercises I do with the
words on this list is to simply put them in front of the word
'organization'. "The manipulative organization" may not be the
antithesis of the "learning organization", but these two do not
sound close to having the same intent or practicing the same
disciplines. If I put the "dialoguing organization" in my mind
versus the "manipulating organization", I start feeling some
polarities or opposites with one feeling positive and one negative.

I also have developed some serenity around the notion that
people discuss topics about which I have little interest. I just
move on to something else. Their needs for discussion are just
different than mine, not wrong.

Have a great day!!

--
Dave Buffenbarger
Organizational Improvement Coach
Dow Chemical Company
(517) 638-7080
dwbuff@aol.com