Presumably, we share this discussion group because of shared beliefs about
the need and some of the methods for transforming our major organizations.
We believe that a change in the way that we manage would have more impact
on quality of life than who manages. That is, how we proceed and design
our way into the future will probably matter more than the name of the
people at the helm.
That is probably still a minority position in this world. What if we were
to change the conversations that occurred wherever policy was debated,
discussed, or the subject of civil discourse? What if we were to move
from a conversation that involved and engaged the nearly 1800 of us to a
conversation that influenced the world?
How could the members of this group help become a catalyst for
transformation? Could we all e-mail elected representatives or corporate
officials? Should we collaborate on a boiler-plate letter that could be
sent to local media in an attempt to introduce concepts we believe would
actually improve our situation, rather than merely shift the burden?
Assuming you could actually coordinate the energy and intellect on this
group into creating a culture that puts a value on learning, or
encouraging corporations that put a value on people, or encouraging
behavior that puts a value on our habitat .... What could we do and how
could we do it?
We've got members in how many countries Rick? How widespread could our
impact be? Why couldn't we explore the possibility of a list.server
replacing political parties? If, as Meg Wheatley so playfully puts it,
in-form-ation forms us, why couldn't a discussion group be a means for
articulating a platform? Political parties are all about place; most
critical issues (from terrorism to the environment, drugs to economic
performance) do not respect place, do not respect borders. As Deming
said, "Knowledge needs no passport."
What would political activism look like on the 'net? And if our
transnational corporations have become the biggest determinant of quality
of life, wouldn't "political" activism deal at least as much with changes
to corporations as governments?
Consider these possibilities. I, for one, would be fascinated to see what
amazing things we could do. I welcome your comments.
"To believe what has not occurred in history will not occur at all, is to
argue disbelief in the dignity of man." - Mahatma Gandhi
--Ron Davison (RonDavison@aol.com) video producer of A Change in 9272 Hector Avenue Thinking: Systems Thinking, San Diego, CA 92123 Learning & Intellectual Capital (619) 279-3917
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>