Traditional Wisdom... LO9573

Keith Cowan (72212.51@CompuServe.COM)
28 Aug 96 19:42:59 EDT

Replying to LO9274 --

"Dr. Ivan Blanco" <BLANCO@BU4090.BARRY.EDU> replies to Brock
> From: Brock Vodden <brock.vodden@odyssey.on.ca>
<<< some deletions here >>>
> Is that not like blaming the fish
> for causing their own death by living in a polluted river?

To which Ivan replied:
>No, I don't think it is. The only thing fish can do about polluted water
>is to move too another place or to die. Leaders and managers can do a
>little bit more than that. They can even prevent pollution from happening
>in the first place.

The point Brock was making was that fish are unaware of water just like we
are unaware of air. Managers who have mastered what it takes to succeed in
a system are the least likely to want to change it. Anu change would erode
their power base and open up opportunities for competitors to take away
their power.

I am not defending this system but we MUST acknowledge its existence and its
power if we are to have any hope of effecting any executive action within
it!

Ivan also said:
>... For instance, when Lee Iacocca was telling the American
>public that they couldn't recognize the quality of Chrysler's products
>because the only perceive quality in Japanese brands, I think that he was
>ignoring a big message that the public had sent him: Improve your product,
>with true improvements, not just new commercials!

This example reinforces Brock's point. Lee could not see what others could
because he was trapped in the system that Ford had "Quality is Job 1" in
the commercials. To his credit, he woke up in time at Chrysler and became
very rich as a result. Chrysler has never been stronger in the "big three"
than now. He also was thinking internationally when he used mid-eastern oil
money to repay potentially crippling government-guaranteed debt during the
bailout. I would give Iacocca a lot more credit than his counterparts at
the other two during his tenure there. FWIW....Keith

-- 

Keith Cowan <72212.51@CompuServe.COM>

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