To add to the message from James Needham from May 20th:
Students, and workers, do what gets rewarded.
Reward systems tend to reward individual - not team - performance. It
starts in grade school and continues throughout the University system.
The Universities typically teach a narrow view of the world in their
disciplines, hence the narrow view of the world shared by graduates. And
again, most organizations do a lousy job a managing the white space of
organizations, where according to Geary Rummler and Brache, is where the
work really gets done.
Asking people to work without sacrificing integrity in a corrupt
environment? - Is that reasonable to expect? The workers will probably
leave the environment - at least those whose values wouldn't allow
themselves to become victims of such an environment.
The schools are resp. for the thinking and communication stuff, and it
starts with the lousy support the American people put into their schools
and the dearth of parental involvement in their children's education.
As in most things in life, what you put into it determines what you will
get out of it.
James raises many points and questions...Other thoughts?!
--Bill Hendry | work e-mail: sfidba@thpl.lib.fl.us Organizational Development Consultant and Trainer Hillsborough County, FL (813) 276-2727, fax (813) 276-2197
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>