LO and Big Layoffs LO5366

joyce@thinksmart.com ("joyce@thinksmart.com")
Mon, 5 Feb 1996 09:19:53 -0800 (PST)

Replying to LO5337 --

I've been thinking about the issue of downsizing and loyalty a lot
recently and would like to respond to the following comment:

>but is downsizing so widespread that we are
>building all our theories on models in which organizations are
>insecure.... and is security based on the survival of the organisation or
>on some other factors re the competences etc... the organization has
>developed in the people etc

A statistic I've seen is that we've lost 3 million jobs in the past five
years to downsizing. If that represented 10% of the workforce of those
organizations, that means that 30 million people were affected.

AND, if you count families and close friends, it could mean that 100
million workers have been "exposed" to downsizing.

Yes, I believe that the level of fear is significant
and that it is adversely impacting our ability to be
productive and innovative.

Maslow said that a man with a hammer in his hand
sees every problem as a nail. I think senior management
has learned to use the hammer of downsizing to the point
that they've forgotten about other tools.

--
Innovative Thinking Network ...

Joyce Wycoff E-mail: joyce@thinksmart.com 101 E. Victoria, #33, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Phone: 805-963-9151; FAX: 805-963-8220 -Info: learning-org-approval@world.std.com or <http://world.std.com/~lo/>