>> In a recent situation, the "empowered staff" found out what that really
>> means: if you make the same decision that the boss would have made, then
>> you're empowered. If you don't make the same decision, then be prepared
>> to bear the consequences, even if you try to point out that you're
>> supervisors are somehow incorrect or inconsistent.
>This is a perfect example of a manager or supervisor whose heart is more
>or less in the right place, but has never had any mentoring, training, or
>guidance on how to execute.... Rol Fessenden
In a previous life, I encountered executives who used the approach quoted
above. They believed that the pain of forcing people to try again and
again until they got it right was a good learning experience. So I pose
the question: "If the boss makes it easy for people to produce the desired
outcome, is he reinforcing of eroding long- term organizational learning?"
If he shows people how to get the result, it might not stick as long as if
he forces them to figure it out themselves...
--
Keith Cowan <72212.51@compuserve.com>
-----
[Host's Note: I think all the above is Keith's msg to which Carl is
replying...]
I'm not sure that the "approach" you refer to is exactly the problem of
which Rol speaks. It seems that Rol is talking about situations where a
manager expects empowered people or teams to make the same decision he or
she would make. That's not an approach to empowerment. That's just a
case where a person doesn't understand that mentoring and cloning are two
different processes.
Your question, however, is different; and intriguing.
If you start with the premise that the function of leadership is to
produce more leaders (not more followers), it seems to follow that one of
its skills is the ability to show people how to get results in general;
and then to provide them with the opportunity and freedom to the same on
their own.
Could you explain a little more what you mean by making it easy to produce
desired outcomes? Are you talking about counsel? Review? Intervention?
I need some help here.
Thanks,
--Carl Gundlach CLG@MSG.TI.COM
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>