Robert,
I think we may all be agreeing violently on a point or two.
People are responsible for their actions, even within systems. However,
unless you take into account the impact and influence systems have upon
the people who are found within them, you risk classifying those with
problems as "evil employees." I think there are a few of these evildoers
out there. But, as one who HAS been so labeled in the past (by a manager
who is currently under investigation for his imoral conduct on and off the
job [see the Dilbert cartoon posted on 8/14/96]), I have to say that the
VAST majority of people are fairly good and decent people who want to do a
good job. The problem is that they are constrained by rules, procedures,
structures, and political situations which were created, and are
maintained, by other fairly good and decent people. Which is the
evildoer, the one who puts the system into place and then says, "Follow it
or be terminated" or the one who encounters obstacles from that same
system and chooses to preserve their paycheck and personal/family's
economic stability by not risking their job bucking the system.
Yes, this posting has many complicated structures (phrases [the stuff
between the commas], inset comments, and such. But I think there's room
for that here, don't you?
--Clyde Howell orgpsych@csra.net
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>