In your post you say:
>I wonder what would happen if CEO's and VP's were required to scrub
>toilets as janitors in their own companies for a few days every year or
>so. I wonder what would happen if they were required to enter endless
>streams of data or maintain training and payroll records in similar
>fashion and duration.
I agree that senior people in many (most?) large organizations have no
idea of what they are asking for when they "implement change" in their
companies. No wonder those who are left after downsizing, reengineering
or other drastic changes are called survivors. I also know that one major
organization (an airline) with which I am working is very different. The
president and senior officers spend time loading bags, checking in
customers and doing all manner of other jobs on a regular basis. This
accomplishes two things. First, it provides officers a first hand
understanding of the jobs within the organization (many of these officers
have no airline background - not an unusual situation either, that
officers move from industry to industry because of their
technical/professional skills rather than industry expertise.) Second it
gives them an opportunity to connect with employees in a way that is more
meaningful than typically available in forums such as "town meetings" etc.
This organization is consiously changing the way it does business with the
goal of becoming more profitable AND a place where employees want to work.
The goals are equally important and in the minds of the officers,
inextricably intertwined. It is exciting to be in such an environment as
a consultant. Unfortunately, it will only be years down the road when we
know how well the attention to "the little things" contributed to the
organization's ability to successfully change its practices.
PBparallax@aol.com
Paula Bartholome
Principal
Parallax
"The greatest problem with communication is the illusion it has beeen
accomplished."
----George
Bernard Shaw
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>