Re: Intro -- Wayne K. Cox, Jr. LO3079

Michael McMaster (michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk)
Fri, 6 Oct 1995 06:37:38 +0000

Replying to LO3070 --

Wayne Cox wrote:
> The questions I have about this area are:
>
> - How the balance is developed between the need for information
> and decision-making (some one ends up being "responsible") and
> the decentralized organization that focuses on action;
>
> - The decision-making process. I feel that there is much I have
> to learn in this area. For example, the producer-product
> relationship is fascinating to me, but new. Any pointers as to
> authors, articles, cases, etc.?
>
> - Can "traditional" managers survive this transformation? Are
> there resources on how resistance and fear of the unkown is
> dealt with;

Wayne, welcome to the conversation. Your series of questions are
somehow unique and "call to me for responses". As is the general
style of this list, you have provided questions for opening a
dialogue rather than questions for answers.

I think we have made a mistake in confusing information availability
and use, participation in dialogue which leads to decisions, and
decision making itself. I suspect these have been collapsed, at
least partly, because in most cases the whole process has been hidden
to most people.

I offer what I think is a very different perspective. Decisions are
point in time where dialogue is to give way to accountability (see
earlier conversations distinguishing this from responsibility) and
action. The process of "decision making" is emergent and the one
that we are focussed on is the relatively unimportant one of explicit
declaration of a decision. Why I say it's relatively unimportant is
because the decision has been effectively made before the actual
declaration. The declaration just seems to be the important point
because it is vocal, local and begins action.

>From this emergent point of view, what leads up to a decision is a
conversation, dialogue, gathering of facts and other similar
activities which continue until either time runs out or there is a
compellingly obvious time to get into action in a particular way.
The actual decision emerges from that processes. In the second case,
the emergence is fairly obvious. In the first case, when time runs
out, the decision will be less obvious but will still be based what
has emerged to the moment.

There is technology of computers, display, access and communication
that now make this a more practical possibility for organisations.

I must demonstrate what I mean here because it's time for me to catch
a train before I finish. More later.

A challenge to John Warfield in this. How does the above relate to
your processes in Interactive Management?

--
Mike
Michael McMaster
Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk