Life in Organizations LO9520

jj@wolfe.net
Tue, 27 Aug 1996 08:29:29 -0700 (PDT)

Benjamin B. Compton wrote:

>There are times when we must be "negative" if we are to effect
>constructive change.The American colonists certainly didn't solve
>their problems through PMA (Positive Mental Attitude); in fact, the
>colonists became so aggravated that they went to war. The positive
>attitude came out through their belief in their own ideas, and
>their ability to create a form of government unsurpassed in the
>chronicles of history.

>Today there are many corporations that take advantage of people, treat
>people as something less than human, and who embrace a philosophy that
>implicitly states that the employees are less intelligent than their managers,
>and therefore must be told what to do.

>I don't see how a PMA will help change this fundamental problem. If
>anything, such an attitude will only perpetuate this philosophy.

Ben, I'm glad you recognize the role of negativity in effecting change. Of
course negative situations don't justify negative actions. In The Conflict
Dojo workshops, we try to emphasize the transformation of negative attacks on
*people* into compassionate cooperation with others to attack the *problem*
together. That's where the choice in how we respond to the situations in our
lives comes in, and where we choose to make positive, constructive efforts to
create a better situation, rather than react in fear.

The old (perhaps not so old?) paradigm was to make war. In my book,
Compassionate Conflict (it's not out yet, so this really isn't a cheap promo -
The Conflict Dojo mention above is, however - thanks for your patience), I
encourage people to embrace a new (probably not so new, either) paradigm to
use those values folks on the list have been writing about lately,
particularly compassion, and focus their dissatisfaction appropriately, on the
situation, behavior, etc., and not the person. Once we place ourselves truly
in another's shoes we can understand their actions. Again, since negative
situations don't justify negative actions, we don't have to like their
responses to their situation. But until we understand them (and they in turn
our situations and responses), we cannot fully collaborate to rectify whatever
has caused our dissatisfaction.

I agree that negativity is a fact of life, and one that serves its purpose. I
also hope we can learn not to let negativity guide our actions, and can be
guided by compassion instead. Warm regards,
Jill

Jill Johnson and Associates, Inc.
Specializing in The Conflict Dojo:
Conflict Management Training based on the ancient teachings of the martial
arts
12932 SE 272 ST, #242 Kent, WA 98031 USA
206-631-0717
206-639-0776 fax
jj@wolfenet.com
http://www.wolfenet.com./~jj/

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jj@wolfe.net

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