Management Commitment LO9012

Stephen Rojak (srojak@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 9 Aug 1996 20:26:31 -0700

Continuing the thread in reply to Ben Compton in LO8886:

>> [excepts from Gary Scherlings and my recent posts..]

> Both points of view, IMO, paint an ugly picture; unfortunately, it is
> a picture too often painted on the walls of corporate America...

Are you saying that the points of view are wrong, or that they are
accurate but unpleasant?

> .. One of the things that I constantly struggle with, is helping
> those I work with find a deeper sense of meaning in their work. We
> spend a large portion of our lives working, and thus, I believe, that
> our personal happiness (not to mention the happiness of our families)
> comes from using our work to express who we are, and what we hope to
> become.

Not everyone thinks this way. For those who do not, are they limiting
their ability to participate effectively in organizations as the
organizations (hopefully) evolve to use more of the whole person?

> ..I told the story of Antonio Stradavari, and how he put himself in
> every violin and cello he made, and how today a Stravdavarias
> instrument is worth many times it weight in gold.
>
> The response: Nothing. Blank stares. So what? ..

Would Stradavari have put himself into every purchase order he made if he
was in charge of purchasing raw materials for Noorda violins? We have
gotten far away from the individual craftsman ethos from Antonio's day to
this.

What happens to a person who was raised and instructed to succeed in a
hierarchical command-and-control environment? Much of the preparation he
received is of limited, or possibly questionable, value. How does he know
what to unlearn?

I just ran down to the basement and retrieved *School is Hell* by Matt
Groening. His summary (Lesson 4) of school is:

...Everyone knows you won't do anything unless you are bribed,
tricked or forced, because nothing is worth doing for its own
sake... If you live in a daze, you'll be less unhappy.

It's not easy to achieve escape velocity from experiences that have been
reinforced since you were six. Not everyone can do it. Suddenly, a person
turns 22 (or whatever), enters the working world, and is supposed to be
able to flip a switch and suddenly start owning his/her results?

> Ouch! That hurts. How can we remain competitive when people care so
> little about the work they do? To me work is an adventure. It is
> something that excites the mind, and allows me to grow, change, and
> develop my abilities; it is place where friendships emerge, thinking
> matures, and experience is gained.

> Granted part of the reason I go to work is that I have a family
> to provide for. But that is not the only reason...

And the people who do not want to find common ground with you on this --
is the choice that they are making valid or not? What roles are they
excluding themselves from (if any) by choosing to "work only to finance
the rest of their lives?"

What is the minimum level of emotional commitment necessary on the part of
the participants for us to remain competitive? What is a baseline we
should set and communicate to those around us?

sr

-- 

srojak@ix.netcom.com (Stephen Rojak )

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>